Seafood Made Simple: This sardine shakshuka is the perfect brain food breakfast

Oily fish are superfoods for the brain

Having seafood for breakfast is an excellent way to get oily fish into your diet and an excellent way to start the day. Picture: Chani Anderson

Fish such as sardines, trout, salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, eels and anchovies are linked with so many health benefits. These fish are high in protein, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for brain development, function and protection. Studies have found that people who eat a healthy dose of oily fish have bigger brains!

Having seafood for breakfast is an excellent way to get oily fish into your diet and an excellent way to start the day as its highly nutritious, easily digested and utterly delicious.

One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever been served was two spanking fresh fillets of mackerel caught by a rod the night before, grilled crisp and served simply with a wedge of lemon at Ballymaloe House.

This weekend I’m sharing a sardine shakshuka recipe, which is a winner if you’re looking to add a little more oily fish into your diet or spice up your weekend brunch offering.

I’ll always have a couple of tins of sardines stashed in the press which means I can whip up this dish in a flash, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or a quick and simple supper.

You could, of course, use fresh sardines if you can get your hands on them or flake through some hot smoked mackerel or swap the tinned sardines for tinned mackerel.

I rely on canned fish for most of my oily fish consumption, perfect for sandwiches, salads and pasta sauces. These tins are brilliant investments – with no refrigeration required, a very lengthy use by date, zero plastic packaging and clear labelling around the fishing methods used.

A top-tip to sneak a little more fish into the diets of the wary: blend tinned sardines and anchovies through pasta sauces.

Sardine shakshuka

recipe by:Aishling Moore

Sardine shakshuka is a winner if you’re looking to add a little more oily fish into your diet or spice up your weekend brunch offering.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp golden rapeseed oil (plus 1 extra tbsp for finishing)

• 1 large white onion

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 red chilli

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ tsp ground coriander

• 1x 400g can of plum tomatoes

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• Sea salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 1x 120g tin of sardines

• 4 large eggs

• 1 small bunch of parsley

Method

1. Begin by prepping the vegetables.

2. Finely dice the white onion.

3. Remove the seeds and the white membrane from the inside of the bell and chilli peppers and finely dice. Mince the garlic.

4. Heat a heavy-based frying pan on medium heat.

5. Add the golden rapeseed oil and allow to warm before adding the diced onion and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened and translucent.

6. Add the finely diced red pepper, chilli and minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

7. Next add the ground cumin, smoked paprika and ground coriander. Cook for 2 minutes to bloom the spices, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

8. Add the can of plum tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

9. Add the caster sugar for sweetness and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

10. Using the back of the wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes into chunks.

11. Taste at this stage to correct seasoning.

12. Reduce the heat to low and make four wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon to hold the eggs as they cook.

13. Crack the eggs and place each egg in a well.

14. Remove the sardines from the tin and drain, reserve the oil for another use.

15. Place the sardines alongside the eggs, season with more sea salt and cracked black pepper.

16. Pop a tight-fitting lid on top of the pan and cook over a low heat for 6-8 minutes until the egg white is fully cooked and the yolk is still jammy or cook further if you’d prefer.

17. Remove from the heat, drizzle with some rapeseed oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to finish.

18. Serve immediately with crusty bread or warmed flatbread.