• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • Contributors

Sees Food, Will Travel logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • Contributors
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • About Me
      • Contributors
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » European

    October 13, 2022

    Canned Sardine Pâté (Patê de Sardinha)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    One of my guilty pleasures is to crack open a bottle of dry white wine and dive into a charcuterie board. If that charcuterie has spread, even better. Who doesn't love a good spread? I discovered sardine pâté (patê de sardinha) in Portugal while gulping down an embarrassing amount of Portuguese green wine (vinho verde) and eating other local dishes. 

    Sardine pâté on striped map next to a jar, blue towel, and a plate of bread

    This Portuguese-style recipe is salty, buttery, herbal, and just a little sharp. There are different ways of making this spread. From what I ate through Portugal, I noticed most sardine pâté variations are made with butter or mayonnaise. This one consists of butter. I just enjoyed the thicker texture and more decadent flavors of the ones made with butter.

    Ingredients for Sardine Pâté

    This pâté comprises a short list of ingredients you can adjust to your taste. But the main ingredient is essential: the type of canned sardines! 

    Tip A Portuguese food tour owner imparted this advice to me: it doesn't matter what brand of sardines to buy. It's more important to check the ingredients list of your canned sardines. A quality can consist of three things at most: olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. The sardines can be fillets or whole, but for this recipe, it's easier to use fillets. Other flavorings can affect the sardine quality, though I still enjoy a can of sardine in tomato sauce.

    Other ingredients add flavor and make the paste richer:

    • Unsalted Butter: The second essential ingredient that builds the texture. Using unsalted butter will help you control how much salt to use.
    • Onions: I used red onions here, but you can also use yellow sweet onions if you want to achieve a milder taste.
    • Fresh Lemon Juice: This brightens up the otherwise rich spread. Use less lemon juice if you are using canned sardines that already include its own lemon juice.
    • Small Bunch of Parsley: You can choose to use green onions, cilantro, or other types of herbs for your own version. 
    • Salt & Pepper (to taste): I recommend adding an eighth teaspoon of salt at a time and adding more based on your preference. Sardines can emphasize the taste of salt since they already consist of salt, so adding it incrementally will give you more control.
    • Tomato Paste (optional): You don't have to add it to your pâté. I just love sardines in tomato sauce, so I added it to this base recipe.

    How to Make Canned Sardine Pâté

    Making this from start to finish takes literally fifteen minutes! It's an easy snack or appetizer to prepare for a dinner party.  

    Open a tin of sardines and add the fillets to a food processor but set the olive oil aside because you will add the oil later.

    A can of sardines in olive oil

    Prep the onions and parsley by dicing the onions and the parsley. Then measure the butter and slice it into cubes.

    Slice a lemon in half and set aside the one-half; you will use only the juice of half a lemon.

    Add the butter, onions, parsley, lemon juice, and tomato paste (optional) to the sardines in the food processor.

    Ingredients for sardine pâté in food processor

    Pulse the ingredients for a few seconds until they are roughly combined and minced. Add a spoonful of olive oil and an eighth teaspoon of salt to the food processor.

    Pulse again until smooth. If the texture is too thick, add more olive oil until you reach the consistency you want. 

    Closeup of sardine pâté in food processor

    Add more salt and pepper to your preference as you pause between each pulsing. Make sure to taste your canned sardine pâté as you adjust it. 

    How to Serve

    Serve it alongside a stack of toasted bread or crackers. To recreate a Portuguese restaurant experience, add a small bowl of olives too. Don't forget to enjoy it with a glass of white wine!

    Tip: If you plan on making this ahead of time, place the sardine pâté in an airtight container and let it sit in the fridge. Take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about ten to fifteen minutes before serving so it spreads more easily.

    Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Simply rate the recipe by clicking on the ⭐️s on the recipe card. Have something to say? Please leave me a comment down below telling me what you think of this recipe.

    Bonus: Let me and other readers know what you did to make this recipe your own - 💫 let's inspire each other!

    Also, follow me on Instagram [@seesfoodwilltravel] and send me a DM with a picture of what you made. I would love to share and celebrate YOUR creation with our budding community 💞

    Check out Sees Food, Will Travel on Pinterest and Facebook for more delicious updates.

    Sardine pâté on striped map next to a jar, blue towel, and a plate of bread

    Sardine Pâté (Paté de Sardinha)

    If you love seafood and spread, well this one is for you! This sardine pâté recipe is a great option for an easy appetizer to spread on toast. Surprise people with this as a delicious addition to any charcuterie board.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine European, Portuguese
    Servings 6 people

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 can sardine fillets (~100 grams) in olive oil
    • 75 grams unsalted butter, sliced into cubes
    • ½ medium onion, diced
    • 1 small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
    • juice of half a lemon
    • salt & pepper, to taste
    • 1-3 teaspoon tomato paste optional

    Instructions
     

    • Add all the sardines minus the olive oil from the can in a food processor. Set aside olive oil in the can.
    • Add juice of lemon, diced onions, chopped parsley, butter cubes, and tomato paste (optional) to the food processor.
    • Pulse for a few seconds until roughly combined, add a spoonful of olive oil from the can and continue to pulse.
    • Pause and taste the spread, then add salt and pepper to taste. Add more olive oil if the consistency is too thick.
    • Keep pulsing until you get a smooth texture adding more olive oil as needed.
    • Serve with toasted bread or crackers.
    Keyword canned sardine recipe, canned sardine spread, pate, sardine pate, sardine spread, seafood, spread
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More European

    • Soko kecze or cheese stuffed mushrooms in a pan
      Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms (Soko Kecze)
    • Czech Garlic Soup (Česnečka)
    • Marinated Camembert Cheese (Nakládaný Camembert)
    • Closeup Portuguese egg tarts or pasteis de nata
      Classic Portuguese Egg Tarts (Pastéis de Nata)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maggie says

      October 20, 2022 at 5:20 am

      This looks SO GOOD!!! I'm definitely going to have to make this soon 🙂

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        October 21, 2022 at 10:11 am

        Happy to hear it! Let me know how it goes!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Joanne!

    Living abroad has taught me how food plays an important role in making connections worldwide. I love pies, Asian food, anything made from potatoes, and wine when it comes to food.

    You can learn more about me here.

    I created this site to track my gastronomy adventures, record inspired recipes, and help others build meaningful (and delicious!) travel itineraries.

    Cheers!

    Trending Recipes

    • Closeup of ube lava cake on a blue plate
      Ube Lava Cake
    • Rolled egg omelet or gyeran mari on a plate
      Cheesy Gyeran Mari (Rolled Omelet)
    • Ube cinnamon rolls on a wood table
      Ube Cinnamon Rolls
    • Sliced maja blanca on parchment paper
      A Creamy Maja Blanca Recipe

    Delicious Food Guides

    • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner in Belém (then Lisbon)
    • Overhead view of various plates in Degenried
      Wirtschaft Degenried: A Hidden Gem Restaurant in Zurich
    • Hawksmoor steak header
      Hawksmoor & Flatiron: Steaks in London

    Don't know where to start? See everything I've ever written here.

    Footer

    Currently

    I love anything that has to do with travel, eating, and cooking.

    Nowadays I am getting to know my Filipino heritage by developing some recipes of my own. Check out some Filipino recipes - you will love it 💕

    • Contact
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy

    Filipino Recipes

    Baked ube sugar cookies
    Fried Filipino fritters on a gray plate
    Closeup of Bistek tagalog or Filipino beefsteak
    • Recipe Index
    • Travel & Food Guide Index

    stay connected

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2023 Sees Food, Will Travel

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsAccept
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT