← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 2 cans tins sardines in olive oil (about 115 g each), drained
• 100 g fresh cream cheese (such as St Môret or Philadelphia)
• 30 g soft salted butter
• ½ lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 Shallot, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Chives, snipped
• 1 pinch Cayenne pepper (optional)
• Black pepper
• toasted baguette or crackers, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Split the sardines and lift out the central bones if you like (they are soft and edible).
2. Mash the sardines with a fork, then work in the cream cheese and butter until you have a rough, spreadable paste.
3. Stir in the lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, the shallot, chives and cayenne. Season with pepper and taste for lemon.
4. Pack into a small dish and serve straight away, or chill until needed, with toasted baguette and radishes.

Tips

• It keeps for 2 days covered in the fridge; bring to room temperature before serving so it spreads.
• The bread contains gluten; serve with cucumber slices to keep it gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

La Cuisine de Géraldine Great British Chefs David Lebovitz