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If you’re in the mood for an appetizer that feels a little special without trying too hard, make these sardine toasts. Creamy goat cheese, sweet cherry peppers, and savory sardines come together with just seven ingredients. Simple, delicious, and exactly right for entertaining—or just treating yourself!
This post is sponsored by King Oscar | Opinions are my own
I love this recipe because it’s unfussy, uses just a handful of ingredients, and scales easily if you’re feeding more people. Sardine diehards might swear by eating them straight from the tin, but even the purists can get behind these sardine toasts. They’re just as good for a casual dinner party as they are for the couch, a bottle of wine, and whatever you’re watching.
If you’re looking for more sardine-based appetizers, check out my sardine-stuffed mini peppers or these pinwheel sandwiches with sardines. For even more inspiration, I’ve got a whole collection of canned sardine recipes you’ll love.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love These Sardine Toasts
- Ingredient Overview
- Step-by-Step: How to Make Sardine Toasts With Goat Cheese
- Substitutions & Variations
- Storage
- What to Serve With Them
- Notes About King Oscar’s Brisling Sardines With Spicy Cracked Pepper
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sardine Toasts With Goat Cheese Recipe
- More Sardine Appetizers You’ll Enjoy
Why You’ll Love These Sardine Toasts
- High-protein snack, with 6 grams of protein for 184 calories (two toasts)
- Boost of omega-3s
- Great combination of flavors
- Easy to make
Ingredient Overview
A quick look at the essentials before we dive into the recipe card:
- Sardines: I use King Oscar’s spicy cracked pepper sardines in this recipe. The pepper adds a really nice bite.
- Cherry peppers: For this recipe, you want jarred, not fresh. That vinegar-y briny goodness brings a lot of flavor. I go with sweet cherry peppers, but you can find hot ones too, if you prefer.
- Goat cheese: I use plain, but you can put your own spin on it with herbed goat cheese or one blended with sun-dried tomatoes. Anything savory works.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Sardine Toasts With Goat Cheese
Step 1: Toast the Baguette Slices
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Slice the baguette into 1/2-inch slices and place them onto a baking sheet. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until they’re just starting to turn golden and are nicely toasted; remove and let cool.
Step 2: Make the Cheese Spread
Transfer the goat cheese and cream cheese into a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or until softened enough to whip and spread easily.
Step 3: Build the Sardine Toasts
Evenly spread the goat cheese mixture over each crostini, then sprinkle with black pepper. Top the crostini with slices of sweet cherry peppers, then a sardine fillet, and garnish with finely chopped parsley.
Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-Free Option: Use a vegan cream cheese.
- Gluten-Free: Use GF crackers as a vessel, like these.
- Cheese Swap: If you don’t like goat cheese, you can use all cream cheese.
- Increased Heat: Instead of sweet cherry peppers, you can use hot cherry peppers or another variation of hot pickled peppers.
Storage
These don’t necessarily store well as the toasts lose their crisp, but they’re worth saving to avoid food waste. You can store them in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
What to Serve With Them
- Quick-Pickled Vegetables
- Charcuterie Board
- Homemade Baba Ganoush with cucumbers
- Homemade Hummus with carrots
Notes About King Oscar’s Brisling Sardines With Spicy Cracked Pepper
- They’re hand-packed in quality extra virgin olive oil with black, white, green, and red whole and cracked peppercorns
- Smoked over oak-wood
- Kosher-certified
- Sustainably caught in Norway’s coastal waters and Fjords
Frequently Asked Questions
You can get pretty creative here. A nice smear of cheese makes for a great base, like the goat and cream cheese used in this recipe. Another nice pairing is something briny, like pickled veggies. You could also add a touch of sweetness, like a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Sardines are packed with healthy fats and omega-3s, and they’re high in protein. What you pop them onto your toast with matters, but in general, sardine toast is a healthy choice.
A nice crusty baguette makes for a great vessel for sardine toasts because it toasts well and holds the toppings nicely. You want something sturdy and manageable.
Sardine Toasts With Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 1/2-inch thick slices of fresh baguette
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 can King Oscar Brisling Sardines, drained, I like using the variation with spicy cracked pepper
- 2 TBSP plain goat cheese
- 2 TBSP plain cream cheese
- 4 sweet cherry peppers, sliced; stems removed
- A few cracks of pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- With a serrated bread knife, slice the French baguette into 1/2-inch slices; place them onto a baking sheet.
- Using a pastry brush, pat the baguette slices with olive oil. Place them into the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until they start to turn golden, then remove them and let them cool.
- Put the goat cheese and cream cheese into a small microwave-safe bowl and heat it up in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or until it's softened enough to stir well and spread evenly.
- With a knife, spread the goat cheese mixture evenly over each crostin; crack some black pepper on top.
- Place slices of sweet cherry peppers on top of the goat cheese, followed by a sardine fillet.
- Top with some freshly chopped parsley and serve.
