Sardine and Spinach Salad with Cherry Tomato, Red Onion and Chives

Fresh, bright, and on the table in ten minutes: the everyday salad that actually fills you up.

⌛ 10 minutes ✧ 🍽️ 1-2

🐟 Sardines in olive oil

Sardine and Spinach Salad with Cherry Tomato, Red Onion and Chives

Some salads are a side dish. This one is a meal. Baby spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, and thin rings of red onion form the base — then a whole tin of sardines is broken over the top, the oil from the tin acting as part of the dressing. A squeeze of fresh lemon and a generous scatter of chopped chives finish it off. Clean, coastal, and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients

1 tin of sardines in olive oil (approx. 120g)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Spread the baby spinach across a wide bowl or plate.
Scatter the cherry tomatoes and red onion rings over the spinach.
Open the sardines. Lay the fillets over the salad, breaking them gently into large pieces. Drizzle the oil from the tin over everything.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Scatter the chives generously and season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestion

Let the oil from the tin do the work — it carries the flavor of the fish into every leaf and tomato. A slice of good sourdough or a few crispbreads on the side turns this into a complete lunch. For a little extra sharpness, add a few thin slices of cornichon or a pinch of chili flakes before serving.