Recipes Lunch Sandwiches & Wraps Seafood Sandwiches Crispy Sardine Caesar Toast 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews Crispy baked sardines crown thick sourdough slathered with garlicky Parmesan butter for a 20-minute toast packed with the punchy, savory flavors of a Caesar salad. By Breana Lai Killeen Breana Lai Killeen Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD, is a food editor, recipe developer, farmer and dietitian who has worked in all facets of the food world. She has more than 20 years of experience cooking professionally, pouring wine, and creating editorial and digital content for top brands. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 18, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 2 Jump to recipe Baking mashed sardines at high heat gives them crisp, browned edges while preserving their meaty texture.Keeping the sardines out of the compound butter allows the garlic, Parmesan cheese, Dijon, Worcestershire, and lemon to deliver a more distinct Caesar flavor.Fresh lemon and scallions provide acidity and snap that balance the rich butter, Parmesan, and oil-packed fish. There’s no need to make a Caesar dressing when you can pack its biggest flavors into butter. For this trendy toast, recipe developer Jasmine Smith combines softened butter with Parmesan, grated garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, salt, and plenty of black pepper. Spread generously over thick sourdough, the mixture creates a rich base for sardines that turn surprisingly crisp in the oven. The Caesar connection goes beyond Parmesan and garlic. Worcestershire, Dijon, lemon, and black pepper give the butter the familiar salty, tangy intensity associated with contemporary Caesar dressings. Caesar salad itself is generally credited to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, who first served it in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924; early versions featured Worcestershire, Parmesan, citrus, egg, and croutons. Here, sourdough takes the place of the croutons, while sardines supply an extra layer of briny depth. Finish each toast with more Parmesan, lemon zest, scallions, flaky salt, and a squeeze of lemon just before digging in. We Tasted 9 Caesar Salad Dressings — These 3 Are Our Surprising Standouts How to make crispy sardines For the crispest sardines, drain them well and pat away excess oil if they look especially slick. Mash the fish finely on the parchment-lined baking sheet, but don’t form a solid sheet. Leaving small spaces between the pieces exposes more edges to the oven’s hot air, encouraging browning and crispness. Once they’re baked, let the sardines stand for one minute before moving them; they can pop when they first emerge from the high heat. What’s the best way to quickly soften butter? The best way to soften butter is to cut it into smaller pieces and spread it out on a plate, then leave it at room temperature for about 10 minutes. If you are short on time, place the butter between sheets of parchment paper and gently flatten it with a rolling pin. Avoid melting it in the microwave, since melted butter can change the texture and consistency of baked goods. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen: Ortiz skin-on sardines packed in olive oil worked particularly well in testing, offering a firm, meaty texture that held up to high-heat baking.Don’t crowd the sardines after mashing them; leaving little gaps exposes more surface area to the oven heat and produces crispier edges.Add the Parmesan garnish with a light hand at first, then add more to taste, since a heavily topped toast can hide the crisp sardines and make each bite overly rich. This recipe was developed by Jasmine Smith; the text was written by Breana Killeen. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 2 servings 1 (5-ounce) tin skin-on sardines in olive oil (such as Ortiz), drained 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3 tablespoons), plus more for garnish 2 garlic cloves, grated (about 3/4 teaspoon) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish 2 (3/4-inch thick) slices country sourdough bread, toasted Thinly sliced scallions Flaky sea salt Lemon wedges Directions Preheat oven to 450°F. Place sardines in an even layer on a parchment paper–lined small rimmed baking sheet. Using a fork, finely mash sardines and spread out into an even layer, leaving some spaces in between. Bake until crispy, 12 to 14 minutes. Let stand for 1 minute, as sardines may pop; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until ready to use. While sardines bake, stir together butter, Parmesan, garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Spread the toasts with desired amount of butter mixture, followed by crispy sardines. Garnish with additional Parmesan, lemon zest, pepper, scallions, and flaky sea salt. Serve with lemon wedges. Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong Make ahead The Caesar butter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days; let it soften at room temperature before spreading, and bake the sardines and toast the bread just before serving for the best texture. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.