Maybe they have gotten better with age???  LOL

I think it is kind of an acquired taste. About 14 months ago wife and I ate the first tin of sardines we had eaten in................. probably most of our lifetime. They tasted kind of nasty, but we decided we "could" eat them if we had to. Didn't really like them.

But they do have healthy omega 3 oils so we decided to try them again. Got a different brand and they were better. Weren't too bad. Then we found a brand we really liked and been eating them since. We will go through probably 10 tins a week between the two of us. Now we can even eat the "nasty" ones but we still like the good ones better. I think sometimes we just have to "get used to" a taste that we are not normally used to.

Take one of your tins. Since they are not in olive oil I would drain the liquid off them and throw it away. Put them in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of relish (dill pickle if you are low carb, regular if not), we like some capers also, add either some mustard (any kind you like) or mayo. Chop them up a little and mix the stuff in. Eat it with a spoon or on pork rinds or crackers.

Once I got off sugar and sweet tastes, I have found I like LOTS of things I would not have touched in the past.

Sardine "fillets" are not as strong as the whole fish sardines and may be a better choice for "beginners". I like the ones in olive oil. If I can't get olive oil I will buy the ones in water and drain them, sometimes adding my own olive oil.

The good fillets mixed up with mayo you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between canned tuna.

John