Besides ice cream, one of my favorite things in Seattle right now is the Grilled Sardine Sandwich en Baguette at Cafe Presse. I’ve expressed my love of oily fish before on this blog, and sardines are among the best of this group. Sadly, none of the fishmongers here seem to ever sell fresh sardines. Canned sardines are good, but nothing beats a grilled or pickled fresh sardine. Hopefully, if the new trend towards eating lower on the seafood chain holds up, we will begin to see more of these kinds of fish in the shops. I would absolutely love to be able to walk down to Pike Place Market and pick up some fresh sardines or anchovies. Until that happens, I will continue to content myself with Cafe Presse’s delectable sardine sandwich.

A mere $5, gets you a crusty, chewy baguette filled with crisp butter lettuce, vinaigrette and mayonnaise, and two plump sardines, their beautiful, shimmering silver skin charred to perfection. If you are squeamish at all, don’t worry. Their heads and tails have been removed; you’ll only have to contend with a vertebral column or two. The baguette is guaranteed to tear your mouth apart, and the sandwich drips everywhere, but it is so worth it. The sardine sandwich comes with just a few cornichon on the side but, if you desire a more filling meal, a large bowl of frites only costs $4. When we go to Presse for breakfast, which we do frequently, I almost always order the sardine sandwich. Yes, that’s right, for breakfast - I like to get my omega 3’s in early in the day! They’re good for your brain!