Sardine

Pat them dry, brush both sides lightly with oil and lay them on a very hot, clean grill. Cook small whole sardines for about 3–4 minutes per side, turning once; they are ready when the flesh flakes easily and is opaque at the backbone.

For small sardines, you can grill or roast them whole, then pull away the head and backbone as you eat. For larger fish, slit the belly and remove the guts first; rinse briefly and dry well so they brown rather than steam.

The flesh should turn opaque and separate easily from the backbone. If you have a food thermometer, check the thickest part and cook it to 63 °C.

Yes. Tinned sardines are already cooked, so you can eat them cold on toast or add them to a salad; drain them first if you want a less oily result.

Serve grilled sardines with lemon, parsley and crusty bread, or pair them with tomatoes, olives and boiled potatoes. Their rich, savoury flavour also works well mashed into pasta with garlic, chilli and a squeeze of lemon.

Keep them covered in the coldest part of the fridge and cook them within a day of buying. For longer storage, wrap them well and freeze; thaw them overnight in the fridge and cook promptly.

The names overlap: sardines and pilchards are small oily fish in the herring family, and what sellers call them can depend on size and region. The European pilchard is commonly sold as a sardine.

Yes: a 100 g portion provides 17 g of protein. For comparison, 100 g of salmon provides 20.2 g.