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Sardine & Cream Cheese Rillettes Spread (Dip)

Savory Sardine Dip

5 from 2 votes
Savory Sardine Dip (Rillettes) is a French-inspired appetizer that transforms humble canned sardines into a creamy, umami-packed spread. Blended with cream cheese, lemon, and fresh herbs, this quick dip takes less than 15 minutes to make. Perfect for parties, it pairs beautifully with crackers, crusty bread, or fresh vegetables, delivering bold flavor with minimal effort.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Calories: 48
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Two 3 3/4 ounce cans sardines packed in olive oil, drained
  • 2 1/2 ounces Neufchâtel cheese or cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots or minced red onions that have soaked in lemon juice for a few minutes
  • 1 to 2 scallions green onions, white and light green parts only (about 3 inches from root), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1/4 cup lime juice or lemon juice or to taste
  • 2 to 3 Tbsp minced fresh herbs such as chives parsley, or dill
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
 

Prep the sardines:
  1. Follow these steps to prepare the sardines:
    Open the cans and drain the sardines.
  2. With a small, sharp knife, slit each sardine along the belly and back, and spread them flat to reveal the backbone.
  3. Pull out and discard the backbone and any other bones. Trim off and discard any tails as well. (You can keep the bones if you like). Personally I eat it all
  4. Set the sardines aside until needed.
Mix the cream cheese, shallot, scallion, herb mixture:
  1. In a medium bowl, use a rubber spatula to fold and stir the cream cheese or Neufchâtel until it is smooth. Then, mix in the shallots, scallions, fresh herbs, and most of the lime or lemon juice with the spatula.
Mash the sardines into the cheese:
  1. Combine the cheese mixture and the sardines without bones in a bowl. Mash the sardines with a fork and mix well with the cheese. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper as desired. Adjust the lime or lemon juice to your liking.
  2. You can serve the dish right away or keep it in the fridge. Make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent any contact with air if you want to prepare it up to two days in advance.
  3. Serve on crackers, bread, celery sticks.