Instructions
It’s funny the difference a name can make.
Hardly a new observation I suppose, after all Shakespeare’s Juliet mused on this very fact. A rose by any other name, indeed.
But think about this conundrum in the kitchen. I’ll struggle to tempt you with a plate of pilchards, no matter how fresh they are and regardless of how creative I’ve been with my flavours. Pilchards are a bait fish you can buy at the service station.
However, I can almost certainly get you to try my latest creation of sardines. I’ll serve them gently fried, then topped with walnuts crumbs and spicy spinach. Lip-smackingly delicious!!
Who would have thought that they are the same fish?
It’s true. ‘Sardine’ is the name given to juvenile pilchards, up to about 10cm in length. Beyond that size they are mostly reserved for amateur fishermen. The flavour doesn’t really change much, although some might argue that the fish oils become stronger and more pronounced when the pilchards reach sexual maturity. Personally I don’t think there’s much in it. Neither does the texture change, both sardines and pilchards tend on the dry side of the equation, despite being an oil fish.
To be frank, it’s mostly in the mind. We think of sardines as being a small fish, and so that’s what fishmongers sell us. Sell the folks what they’ll buy, as the old saying goes.
In fact it simply wouldn’t make economic sense to sell pilchards as a table fish, no one would pay enough to get the boat to sea. But sardines are a core part of Mediterranean culture, and we’ll happily fork out a few extra bucks for them!
All said, sardines are still a relatively cheap fish to buy, and the quality of the Australian catch is first rate, particularly the ones from Fremantle in W.A.. So you can break the mould without breaking the bank.
WA sardines with walnut crumbs and spiced spinach