Know what’s on your plate
Sardines
Calories & nutrition facts
flesh only, raw
Nutrition facts
Per 100 g% DV- Calories 134 kcal —
- Protein 20 g 40%
- Carbohydrate 0 g 0%
- Fat 6.1 g 8%
- Saturated fat 1.8 g 9%
- Fibre 0 g 0%
- Sugars 0 g —
- Sodium 136 mg 6%
Vitamins & minerals
Per 100 g% DVVitamins
- Vitamin A 10 µg 1%
- Vitamin D 4 µg 20%
- Vitamin E 0.31 mg 2%
- Riboflavin (B2) 0.34 mg 26%
- Niacin (B3) 10.1 mg 63%
- Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.69 mg 14%
- Vitamin B6 0.31 mg 18%
- Biotin (B7) 9.7 µg 32%
- Folate (B9) 7 µg 2%
- Vitamin B12 8.3 µg 346%
Minerals
- Calcium 50 mg 4%
- Iron 1.6 mg 9%
- Magnesium 32 mg 8%
- Phosphorus 257 mg 21%
- Potassium 387 mg 8%
- Zinc 0.7 mg 6%
- Copper 0.13 mg 14%
- Manganese 0.03 mg 1%
- Selenium 51 µg 93%
- Iodine 79 µg 53%
Similar foods
- Atlantic sardinecanned in oil, drained solids with bone208 kcal / 100 g
- European pilchard or sardineraw160 kcal / 100 g
- Sardine filletsaltwater, raw139 kcal / 100 g
- Sardine in oildrained204 kcal / 100 g
- Canned sardine in oilin oil, canned284 kcal / 100 g
- Pilchardraw225 kcal / 100 g
- Tunaflesh only, raw107 kcal / 100 g
- Herringflesh only, raw190 kcal / 100 g
- Salmonfarmed, flesh only, raw217 kcal / 100 g
- Spratsraw172 kcal / 100 g
Questions about Sardines
How do you grill fresh sardines?
Pat them dry, brush with oil and season, then grill under a hot grill for about 3–4 minutes on each side, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. Leave them whole to help keep them moist; the bones are small but you can remove the backbone after cooking.
Do you need to gut sardines before cooking them?
Ask the fishmonger to clean them, or slit each belly and pull out the innards yourself, then rinse briefly and pat dry. Small sardines are sometimes cooked whole, but gutting gives a cleaner flavour.
How should you store fresh sardines?
Keep them very cold in a covered container and cook them within a day or two of buying. For longer storage, wrap them well and freeze; thaw them in the fridge before cooking.
What goes well with sardines?
Serve grilled sardines with lemon, parsley and crusty bread, or pair them with tomatoes, olives and potatoes. Tinned sardines are also good on toast with mustard, or stirred through pasta with garlic and chilli.
Can you eat the bones in tinned sardines?
Yes. The small bones in tinned sardines soften during cooking and are edible; mash them into the fish if you prefer not to notice their texture.
Can you use mackerel instead of sardines?
Yes, mackerel works well grilled or in salads, though its flesh is richer and firmer. For a quick comparison, mackerel has 262 kcal and 18.6 g protein per 100 g, while sardines have 134 kcal and 20 g protein.
Are sardines high in selenium?
Yes. Sardines are high in selenium, with 51 µg per 100 g.
Are sardines and pilchards the same fish?
The names overlap in everyday use, and pilchard is often used for larger sardines. In food descriptions, the exact species and size can differ, so the name alone does not always identify a single fish.
Source: CoFID (UK) 16-401 · per 100 g · carbohydrate per EU label, fibre excluded
