Snackin’ sardines

Sardines have gotten a bad rap, but present-day trends support a move to the protein-rich fish.

“With sardines, you think of this outdated looking package, something that your grandfather would eat, but what’s happening now is we’re seeing a couple brands out of Portugal putting a modern spin on sardines,” Ms. Moskow said. “You can imagine how cute a sardine can could be if branded properly, and they’re doing that… They also are putting in the can interesting flavors, smoked varieties, and these really plump, unctuous looking pieces of fish as opposed to the skinny thing, where you saw the bone and it didn’t look appealing and was really smelly.”

In restaurants, the rise of toast’s popularity presents an opportunity to offer sardines as a topper.

“Sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, high in protein, high in umami flavor, all things that are trending,” Ms. Moskow said.