Sardine Tacos with Mango Salsa Verde

episode #117 of 30-minute budget meals

Happy Monday, and greetings from my cookbook testing hole! I’ve been DEEP in it, and let me tell you, it is sooo hard not to share every single recipe with you in the moment.

I’ve sent about 50 recipes over to my tester, so far, and I’ve been in the process of reading her feedback and making any necessary adjustments. By the time she receives them, most recipes have been tested by myself 3-5 times, so they’re usually in pretty good shape. But it’s always helpful to hear from another person how clear (or confusing!) the instructions are, how their cook times compare, and just outside feedback on taste and preferences!

The saddest thing is working on a recipe multiple times but then ultimately bailing on it beause it never pans out. Sometimes, a flavor combination sounds incredible in my head, but when it comes to execution, it’s just not quite right. Currently, I’m struggling with a fried zucchini bean salad, where the flavors are perfect, but the texture is just too mushy. My dad and brother loved it when I made it for them last week, but I personally can’t get past the texture. I’m thinking I can remedy the issue by using bigger beans or adding some extra crunchy ingredients, but otherwise, I may shelf it and move on. As they say in journalism school, “Kill your darlings.“ If something you love isn’t serving the greater good of the project, you gotta let it go.

I haven’t had ample time for fun recently, but I did get drinks with a friend Friday night, the first time I’ve stayed up past 11 pm in a long time (sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s not). Grant and I took Sagan to the beach last weekend, and I was elated watching him play in the waves. It made me a little sad that I no longer live within walking distance to the ocean, though. It has been 7 years since I lived on the Westside, and although I absolutely love our neighborhood, I do get a little nostalgic for those times in my 20s when I would just casually go to the beach multiple times a week. I am a beach bum at my core, but with a young child and a minimum of a 30-minute drive to the coast, we just don’t go as much anymore. Maybe when this project ends—although by then, it will be winter.

Okay, enough about that. On to this week’s recipe, which is a summery dish, because contrary to social media’s obsession with always moving onto the next thing, it is not fall and will not be fall for over a month. Get ahold of yourselves, you pumpkin freaks! I love pumpkin, but it is TOO. SOON.

Tinned sardines are having their moment, and for good reason. They’re a budget-conscious way to get in all of those healthy omega-3s, lots of protein, and an abundance of other vitamins and minerals. Their taste isn’t for everyone, and I get that, so I’ve been trying to come up with creative ways to help enhane their flavor.

For these tacos, I made a mango salsa verde that’s half Mexican-inspired salsa verde and half Italian-inspired. It’s not traditional in either direction, but a fusion, and the mango adds a refreshing touch, especially paired with the sardines.

You can find canned sardines at most major grocery stores (I know Trader Joe’s has them for really cheap).

RECIPE!

Sardine Tacos with Mango Salsa Verde

Ingredients (serves 2)