Mackerel, sardines, anchovies...all little oily fish, high in omega 3s and fortunately not the ones that tend to be overfished like tuna, sea bass & swordfish (which also tend to have higher mercury levels). I thought I never liked sardines (some fuzzy memory of my dad eating a smelly, slimy & overly salty version from a can in the 70s...with peanut butter!). But I had fresh grilled sardines on vacation once and now when I see them on menus at restaurants I know really take pride in fresh ingredients, I do crave them. The same goes for anchovies. I am not a big fan of the ones packed in salt, that have a very strong flavor. But vinegar & oil marinated white anchovies? Delicious. So delicate with a lovely briny quality. At the shops we carry Matiz sardines in a can and people buy them 4 or 5 at a time sometimes. We also have marinated white anchovies from Ortiz, a Spanish producer that now uses sustainable fishing methods for all their products, including an amazing tuna in olive oil. Try the white marinated anchovies on top of tomato and herb bruschetta, or on a salad.
By the way, if you are curious about which fish are a better choice to get when you are out at a restaurant or buying them to prepare at home, the Shedd Aquarium has a "Right Bite" Seafood Wallet Card for keeping on your person. Download the card for free at http://www.sheddaquarium.org/pdf/Shedd_seafood_wallet_card_2009-2010.pdf. Dirk's Fish on Clyborn also has started including info on fishing & sustainability in their display cases, which makes it much easier for me to decide what I'm making when I go there.
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