Sardines.

Sardines. I have no really explanation, no excuses, although I will blame both Clare L-H. and Alton Brown. Clare declared she really liked sardines. "Fresh?," I asked. Turns out she likes fresh, she likes canned. She likes sardines.

But I was still doubtful. I forgot about it. In fact, I couldn't imagine ever opening a can of sardines.

Then Alton--have you SEEN him? He lost a lot of weight--50 pounds, if I recall correctly--and he talked about how he did it on a recent Good Eats. I loved that he set about doing it by making a list of things he MUST eat, not things he mustn't eat. He finished with a list of things to not eat often. Thank you, Alton, for doing this the right way.

I digress.

Alton went on at length about the European brisling. I was half listening, thinking: never heard of it. And I like to think I've heard a lot about food...Of course, the big reveal is that the brisling IS a sardine.  He goes on to introduce Sherried Sardine Toasts with "brisling sardines in olive oil."

Well. A 50 pound weight loss is pretty impressive. Have I told you I'm training for the swim leg of a triathlon in July. Oh, well I'm STARTING training for the swim leg of the triathlon. And truth be told, I could stand a slim down. And if I'm going to slim down, I'd like to take Alton's approach about things I must eat, not things I mustn't eat.

Which led me to the shelves of canned sardines, where I pretty much never suspected I'd find myself. And no cheap sardines for me. I looked for ones that said Brisling on the label...and I looked for ones canned in Canada. I got two cans, one in olive oil and one "Mediterranean" with some tomato and black olives.

And I loved them both.

I am newly obsessed. I ate one can by piling it on a couple of slices of great bread I had at home. The other can, the olive oil sardines? Topped a bit of spaghetti with the entire can and had at it.

This week? I'll be eating a lot more sardines (150 calories for THE WHOLE CAN).

Check Alton's Sherried Sardine Toast recipe. And let me know what you do with YOUR sardines.

See you on the skinny line at the finish line of the SWIM IN THE HUDSON.

Ps. I part of the triathlon team because I am raising money for Amyloidosis Research in memory of Paul Hawthorne, who I  blogged about here. I am shameless in asking for money for this, so if you'd like to donate, go to the amyloidosis research site and follow these instructions:

1. select  "This donation is made in dedication to an individual."
2. Check "In Honor Of"
3. in the "Dedication Name" field, type "Barb Freda/Paul's Posse."