Seafood lovers, meet your new favorite: a light, mousse-like Sardine Pâté that's ready in just 10 minutes. Spread it over toasted sliced baguette or your favorite crackers to serve. Perfect as part of a holiday appetizer platter. It is also great for breakfast, makes a satisfying snack, or pairs beautifully with a fresh salad for lunch.
Jump to:
Why this sardine pate is better than others
- It is made with sauteed shallots, adding a nice subtle caramelized shallot flavor.
- It is blended in a food processor to make a smooth pate. Some recipes just have you stir everything together. It's NOT the same.
- It has plenty of lemon juice to brighten up the flavors.
- It has lots of of butter to make it extra creamy and tasty. If that sounds good to you, be sure to also check out my anchovy butter.
- It is budget-friendly, using only about 2 tins of sardines (depending on the size of your canned sardines).
- It makes a super easy, delicious 10-minute appetizer or snack. Great for breakfast and lunch, too!
- It's a great way to eat sardine toasts without the mess of sardines falling off all the time.
More recipes like this: Tuna Pate
Ingredients
- 5-6 ounces canned sardines packed in oil, drained (that's 2-3 tins, depending on the size)
- 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt (omit or use less if using salted butter)
- ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper
- For serving: toasted bread or crackers
More sardine recipes to try: Sardine Cakes
Equipment
- Small food processor (2-3 cups). A small one is key here because if you have a large one, all the pate will be smeared on the sides without blending well.
- Small skillet to caramelize the shallots
- Measuring spoons
More seafood appetizer ideas: Easy Lox Platter
Instructions
In a small skillet, sauté the diced shallot and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Don't let it burn.
Combine all the ingredients in the food processor, including the sauteed shallots. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Adjust the flavor with more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or dill, as needed. Serve immediately, garnishing with a little smoked paprika and fresh dill, or refrigerate.
More seafood appetizer recipes: Red Caviar Toasts
Storage
This pate will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It can be made ahead for a party. You can serve it straight from the fridge (it will be firmer), or you can let it come to room temperature for a fluffier mousse-like pate.
More seafood spreads to put on toasted bread: Creamy Shrimp and Crab Spread
Kate's cooking tips
- As mentioned above, you should to use a small food processor or a small personal blender. This is the food processor I used. Otherwise the pate will smear all over the sides of a large food processor because it's such a small amount. Another option is to use a mortar and pestle and really grind everything together.
- Sardines packed in oil blend better with butter and make a richer pate. I use sardines packed in olive oil because they are the tastiest. I use bone-in sardines because it adds a bit of calcium.
- If you want to skip the sauteing step to save time, reduce the shallot to about 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot. Raw shallots are have a stronger flavor than sauteed shallots.
- Don't have smoked paprika? Use regular paprika and a few drops of liquid smoke seasoning.
- Make it lighter in calories: reduce the butter. This makes the sardine flavor more intense.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Sardine Pate (Sardine Spread)
Ingredients
- 5-6 ounces canned sardines packed in oil - drained
- 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- 1 shallot - diced
- 1 clove garlic - chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt - (omit or use less if using salted butter)
- ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper
- For serving: toasted bread or crackers
Special equipment
- Small food processor (2-3 cups)
- small skillet to caramelize the shallots
Instructions
- In a small skillet, sauté the diced shallot and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Don't let it burn.
- Combine all the ingredients in the food processor, including the sauteed shallots. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Adjust the flavor with more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or dill, as needed. Serve immediately, garnishing with a little smoked paprika and fresh dill, or refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate Vaynshteyn
Sunday 30th of November 2025
My super picky 8 year old ate most of this pate last time I made it because he loved it so much! He keeps asking me to make more. So this will definitely be a repeat for us. I hope you like it as much as we do!