It actually doesn't taste like diet food at all.

Sardine Avocado Sandwiches View the complete recipe here »

Get the Recipe Alton Brown's Sardine-Avocado Sandwiches

If you've seen Alton Brown on television recently (his Iron Chef White House appearance, the Welch's Grape Juice commercials, or of course, Good Eats) you've probably noticed that a big chunk of him is missing. Where did you go, Alton?

Apparently to the land of sardine-avocado (sardicado?) sandwiches, where he's lost 50-pounds-plus. On a recent Good Eats episode called "Live and Let Diet," Brown revealed his little skinny-making secret.

He's a sardine fanatic. In fact, when he travels, he takes a can of it with him on the road. (Though he encourages sardinephobes not quite at this stage to call them "brislings," their other less-scary-sounding name.) Unlike detox teas and grapefruit diets, this sandwich actually doesn't sound like skinny-person food. In fact, it sounds pretty satisfying and, um, delicious?

Inspiration to investigate came from this Talk thread:

Funny how the 28 comments here and NOONE actually tried the sandwich (ok, not all the comments were on the sandwich). Well I made one this weekend and i thought it was great! —haggisman

Great, indeed.

It's basically a more intense tuna sandwich but the avocado smoosh provides a nice creamy, fatty (but good-for-you fatty) buffer to calm the under-the-sea taste. If sardines aren't your thing, this probably won't be the magical gateway food that changes your mind—it still tastes like sardines.

But if you're not afraid of the little fishies—or better yet, a member of the Sardine Society—it's a satisfying balance of salty, oily, and avocadoey, and you won't get the hunger jitters for a while.

Sure, eating sardicado sandwiches on a regular basis a la Alton (in the Live and Let Die episode he points out they can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner) may turn them nasty really fast, but as an occasional snack or light meal, it's pretty damn tasty.

Clip from Good Eats: Live and Let Die

More Sardine Recipes

Roasted Sardines with Bread Crumbs, Green Garlic, and Mint

Grilled Sardines with Chopped Salad and Skordalia Soup

Sardine Sandwiches with Tomato Jam and Fresh Cheese

Sardine-and-Egg Salad Sandwich

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