Sardine and Avocado Breakfast Plate
A cool, bright breakfast plate of drained tinned sardines and lemony mashed avocado over peppery arugula and cucumber ribbons, finished with thin red onion, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This is a no-cook breakfast plate for anyone who wants something savory and substantial in the morning without turning on the stove. It leans on a tin of good sardines and a ripe avocado as its anchors, then builds freshness around them with peppery greens, crisp cucumber and a lot of lemon. It comes together in the time it takes to shave a cucumber, which makes it a realistic option on a busy weekday, not just a weekend project.
Contrast, and enough acid to hold it up. The sardines are rich and savory, the avocado is soft and buttery, and on their own they can feel heavy. Splitting the lemon juice between the avocado mash and the greens brightens both at once, cutting that richness and waking everything up, while the raw red onion and the peppery arugula add a sharp edge. Shaving the cucumber into ribbons rather than slicing it into coins gives it more surface to catch the olive oil and lemon, so each bite carries dressing.
Protein and healthy fats with a real volume of vegetables, a mix that tends to keep you full through the morning. The sardines bring the kind of savory, oily-fish flavor that reads as a meal, the avocado makes it feel indulgent, and the raw greens and cucumber keep it light and hydrating rather than dense. Because nothing is cooked, the flavors stay clean and distinct, and the whole plate feels fresh rather than fussy.
Ingredients
- two 4.4 oz tins sardines, drained
- 2 large avocados, mashed
- 1 1/2 cucumbers, shaved into ribbons
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables: Trim the ends off the cucumbers and, using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline, shave them lengthwise into long, thin ribbons, turning the cucumber as you go and stopping when you reach the seedy core. Peel the red onion and slice it into thin half-moons. Set both aside.
- Drain the sardines: Open the tins of sardines and tip them into a fine strainer or the lid to drain off the packing oil or water. Let them sit a minute so they are not wet, then lift the whole fillets out gently so they stay intact.
- Mash the avocado: Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add half of the lemon juice and the salt, then mash with a fork until it is a chunky spread that still has some pieces in it, rather than working it perfectly smooth.
- Dress the greens: In a large bowl, combine the baby arugula and the cucumber ribbons. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and the remaining lemon juice, and toss gently with your hands just until every leaf is lightly coated. Dress it right before serving so the greens stay crisp.
- Plate: Divide the dressed arugula and cucumber among the plates when the greens have just been tossed. Add a mound of the mashed avocado alongside them and lay the drained sardines over the top, keeping the fillets whole, since they break apart the moment anything stirs them.
- Finish: Garnish each plate with a few slices of red onion and set a lemon wedge on the side to squeeze over just before eating, because the lemon at the table is what cuts the oil in the fish and it goes flat if it is added early.
Variations
- Swap the fish: Trade the sardines for drained tinned mackerel or wild salmon for a milder or meatier flavor; this keeps it as a fish dish but changes the taste and texture.
- Herb it up: Fold chopped fresh dill, parsley, chives or basil into the avocado mash, or scatter the leaves over the plate, for a green, garden freshness that plays off the lemon.
- Different greens: Use baby spinach, watercress or mixed baby leaves in place of the arugula if you want something less peppery; watercress keeps the bite, spinach softens it.
- Add crunch and brine: Scatter thinly sliced radishes and a few torn olives over the top for extra crunch and a salty, briny note that stands up to the rich fish.
- Brighter finish: Swap the lemon for lime in both the mash and the dressing, and add a little finely grated citrus zest, for a sharper, more aromatic acidity.
Storage & Leftovers
Keep the components separate for the best results. Dressed greens wilt quickly, so store any undressed arugula and cucumber ribbons in a container in the refrigerator, where they hold for about two days. Sardines, once out of the tin, keep in a covered container for two to three days.
There is nothing to reheat here, which is part of the appeal. Simply bring the sardines out of the refrigerator a few minutes before eating to take off the chill, then dress the greens fresh and plate. Cold, straight-from-the-fridge sardines are perfectly good too if you are short on time.
To get ahead, shave the cucumber ribbons and slice the red onion a day in advance and store them separately in the refrigerator. Leave the avocado for the morning, since it browns once cut; press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of any leftover mash and use it within a day.
Notes & Tips
- Buy sardines packed in olive oil: Sardines packed in extra-virgin olive oil or water tend to taste cleaner than those in soy or vegetable oil. Look for whole fillets rather than pieces if you want them to stay intact on the plate.
- Rinse to tame the salt: Tinned sardines can be quite salty. If yours taste strong, give the drained fillets a quick rinse under cool water and pat them dry before plating, and go light on the salt in the avocado mash.
- Pick a ripe avocado: Choose an avocado that yields to gentle pressure but is not mushy. If yours are firm, buy them a few days ahead and ripen them on the counter; speed it up by keeping them in a paper bag.
- The onion is adjustable: Raw red onion is assertive. For a softer bite, soak the slices in cold water for ten minutes and pat dry, or leave the onion off entirely if it is too sharp for the morning.
- Chill the cucumber ribbons: Cucumber ribbons are at their best cold and crisp. Keep them in the refrigerator until the moment you dress and plate, so they stay firm rather than going limp and watery.
- Serve it as a light lunch: This plate scales up easily into a midday meal. Add a handful more greens or a side of ripe olives and cucumber to stretch it, since everything here holds well side by side.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- The sardines, the avocado and the raw vegetables balance one another on the plate. The fish is briny and rich, the avocado is soft and buttery against it, and the cucumber and arugula stay cold and crisp so nothing sits heavy.
- Sardines are strong-flavored little fish meant to be eaten whole, soft bones included, and that is where the calcium and vitamin D come from. They carry the omega-3 fats as well, which is why a few of them anchor a plate this simple.
- Avocado mashed roughly onto the plate does the job of a sauce. Its fat softens the salt of the fish, it brings potassium and fiber, and it helps the body take up the fat-soluble vitamins sitting in the greens beside it.
- Arugula is peppery and slightly bitter, which is exactly what a rich fish wants next to it, and cucumber is mostly water, cold and clean-tasting, resetting your mouth between bites.
- Lemon and thin-sliced raw onion lift the whole plate. The acid goes over everything right before eating so it stays sharp, and the onion keeps a bite that stops the avocado from turning the plate soft all the way through.
- As you eat, notice how the cold cucumber cuts across the oil of the fish, and let this be a breakfast you sit down with rather than one you assemble and finish standing up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to eat the bones in the sardines?
The tiny bones in tinned sardines are soft, edible, and easy to chew, and they are where much of the calcium comes from, so there is no need to pick them out. If you would rather not, buy boneless, skinless tins, though you lose some of the mineral benefit.
How do I keep the avocado from turning brown?
Mashing the avocado with lemon juice slows browning, since the acid protects the flesh. For anything you are not eating right away, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no air reaches it, and use it within a day.
Can I make this the night before?
Partly. Shave the cucumber, slice the onion, and drain the sardines ahead and refrigerate them separately, but mash the avocado and dress the greens in the morning so the avocado stays fresh and the arugula stays crisp.
The sardines taste too fishy for me. What can I do?
A firm squeeze of the lemon wedge over the fillets and the sharp red onion both cut the fishiness noticeably. Choosing sardines packed in olive oil and giving them a quick rinse also mellows the flavor, or swap in milder tinned mackerel or salmon.