They’re a highly nutritious food with many health benefits, deserving to be far better known and widely enjoyed. Fresh pilchards or Cornish sardines may be lightly poached, grilled or baked and although there’ll be a definite oily whiff in the air it’s considerably less if cooked in water.

Are canned pilchards healthy?

Cold-water oily fish such as sardines are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Indeed, the silver-scaled fish in a can are dense with nutrients. One serving of the oily pilchards packs as much as 17 grams of protein and 50 percent of your recommended daily calcium intake for just 90 to 150 calories.

Are pilchards as healthy as sardines?

Though not as nutritious as sardines, pilchards are still an excellent source of vitamin D, essential for healthy bones, and vitamin B12 as well as calcium, iron and zinc. Lower in salt than tinned salmon and sardines.