This Brazilian Sardine Pie (Torta de Sardinha) is a comforting, savory bake made with canned sardines, vegetables, and a soft homemade batter that’s made entirely in a blender. Budget-friendly, easy to make, and full of nostalgic flavor, this sardine casserole is perfect as a snack, lunch, or light dinner.
Author’s Note
Growing up in Brazil, empanada de sardinha was one of those foods that instantly felt like home.
Like many Brazilian families, we didn’t have the means to splurge on expensive cuts of meat or fish, so canned sardines were a staple. Affordable, nutritious, and endlessly versatile, they became a trusted ingredient my mom relied on to create filling, flavorful meals. And this pie? It was always my favorite.
Every time I make this recipe, I’m transported right back to my Mom’s kitchen, the sounds, the smells, and the comfort of a slice of warm sardine pie.
I hope it brings the same cozy simplicity to your table, whether you grew up with it or are discovering it for the first time.
-Silvia
If you’re looking for a unique, flavorful, and budget-friendly dish, this Brazilian Sardine Pie is a recipe you’re going to love. Known in Brazil as Torta de Sardinha or Empanada de Sardinha, this savory casserole is made with simple pantry staples, canned sardines, vegetables, an easy blender batter and baked until golden and tender.
What I love most about this recipe is how practical and comforting it is. It comes together with simple pantry staples, the kind most of us already have on hand, and the process couldn’t be easier. Just mix, layer, and bake!
It’s budget-friendly, feeds a family without fuss, and works for everything from quick snacks to lunchboxes to casual potlucks. And honestly? It’s one of the most delicious, approachable ways to enjoy canned sardines.
This recipe is perfect for anyone searching for:
👉🏻 Easy canned sardine recipes
👉🏻 Brazilian savory pies
👉🏻 Budget-friendly family meals
👉🏻 Pescatarian comfort food
👉🏻 Unique baked fish recipes
Whether you serve it warm or room temperature, as a light meal or an in-between snack, this sardine casserole brings together everything we love about Brazilian home cooking: practical ingredients, big flavor, and true homemade comfort.
Ingredient Notes
- Canned Sardines – the star of the recipe! Sardines add richness, protein and flavor without the cost of fresh fish. It’s easy, accessible and shelf-stable. You can use any kind of sardines you like, spicy, with tomatoes, in oil, they all work well in this recipe.
- Vegetables – Traditionally we use sautéed onions, peppers, tomatoes or sun-dried tomato, to give the filling a natural sweetness. However feel free to use other veggies, especially if you are trying to use up older vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, corn or peas.
- Olives and herbs – We Brazilians love to add olives to our recipes. Olives add briny depth, skip it if it’s not your favorite. For fresh herbs I like cilantro or parsley.
- Batter – this batter is entirely made in a blender. Mix eggs, oil, milk, baking powder, parmesan cheese and flour, starting with the wet ingredients first.
How To Make the Sauce For The Sardine Pie
Step 1: Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil until fragrant and then add the diced tomato and green pepper. Cook until all the vegetables have softened.
Step 2: Stir in sun-dried tomato and tomato sauce and let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes.
Step 3: Add drained sardines and mash with a fork or spoon to break them down.
Step 4: Season with salt and pepper, add a handful of cilantro and lower the heat. Let the sauce simmer while you work on the dough.
How To Make The Dough
Step 1: Add the wet ingredients; milk, eggs, and oil to a blender, and then add the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, parmesan cheese, and salt.
Step 2: Blend until the dough is smooth, being mindful not to overwork the dough.
Step 3: Coat a pie plate with oil or butter and then sprinkle with a touch of flour so the crust doesn’t stick. Pour the dough into the pie dish.
Step 4: Top the pie with the sardine sauce and then add the olives and a pinch of parmesan cheese.
Step 5: Bake the pie at 350F degrees for 35 minutes. The crust will start to detach from the pie dish, you can also insert a fork to make sure the dough is cooked through.
Step 6: Serve warm or cold. Keep leftover pie refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Here are some of my favorite go-to canned sardine;
⒈ Sea Tales Sardines in Olive Oil – simple, mild, this is your basic sardine for simple flavor.
⒉ Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper – one of my most go-to can of sardine, it has a nice kick to it. If you don’t mind a little bit of heat, this one is a must try!
⒊ Fishwife Sardines with Preserved Lemon – from the same brand, this one is preserved in lemon juice. Adds a nice citrusy hint, so delicious!
⒋ Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Costco carries this brand which I also love, so whenever I can I stock up on these sardines in olive oil.
Earlier this year during a trip to Portugal I brought home a few dozens of canned Portuguese sardine for myself and as a gift. They make for a very fun and interesting gift, with the most adorable packaging. If you visit Portugal be sure to grab a few cans. There is also a Portuguese Sardine store in Time Square, NY.
FAQs
Sardine pie is a savory Brazilian casserole made with canned sardines, vegetables, and a light batter. It’s a classic Brazilian recipe that is served as a snack or lunch.
Surprisingly, no! Sardines mellow beautifully when baked with vegetables and batter, making this a great recipe even for sardine beginners.
Yes! This sardine recipe keeps really well, reheats easily, and can be eaten warm or cold!
Yes, simply omit the cheese and use a non-dairy milk alternative. Same goes for gluten, so if that’s a problem substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-free 1-to-1 flour.
Where to bake the sardine pie?
For this recipe I used a ceramic pie dish from Jefferson Street Ceramics his American handmade ceramics are so beautiful and useful in many recipes. But you can use any deep Pie Dish for Baking that’s about 9 inches
what to serve sardine pie with;
This easy Sardine Pie can be eaten alone, as a snack or appetizer, or alongside this Brazilian Cheese Bread, or Pinto Beans. You can also serve the pie with a salads for a light lunch or dinner; Quinoa Beet and Arugula Salad, Roasted Vegetable Salad With Ginger Rosemary Dressing, or this Autumn Kale Sweet Potato and Bean Salad.
Looking for more Brazilian recipes?
Brazilian Sardine Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
Sardine Pie Sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato
- 1-2 cans sardine*
- 1/2 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup olives
Instructions
- Heat oil in skillet. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant (2-3 minutes). Add in diced tomatoes and green pepper. Cook until vegetables have softened (2-3 minutes)
- Stir in sun dried tomato and tomato sauce. Allow sauce to simmer for a couple minutes.
- Toss in drained sardines then using a spatula break the sardine down.
- Season with salt and pepper and add a handful of cilantro. Turn heat down to low and let it simmer while you work on the dough.
- Add the dough ingredients to a blender cup starting with wet ingredients first. That's the milk, eggs and oil followed by flour, baking powder, parmesan cheese and pinch of salt.
- Work the blender for 1-2 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Don't overwork the dough.
- Spray a pie dish or brush butter or oil, followed by a little bit of flour so it doesn't stick, then pour dough into the pie dish.
- Top pie with sardine sauce, then add olives and a pinch of parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350F degrees for 35 minutes. The crust will start to detach from the pie dish, you can also insert a fork to make sure the dough is cooked through.
- Serve warm or cold. Keep leftover pie refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Notes
- use 1 can of sardine or 2 for a stronger fish tasting pie
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze:
Freeze slices individually for up to 2 months. Reheat:
- Oven: 350°F for 10–12 minutes
- Microwave: 30–60 seconds (softens the crust slightly)
- Room temperature is ideal
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is fantastic! I swapped out the flour for almond flour, the “dough” was soupy and the favorable sauce sunk into the dough, but it didn’t take away from this interesting easy & tasty dish. I had to add 15 more minutes of baking, and though hard to remove from the pan as a slice, it didn’t matter, this was so good. 2 tins of sardines did not overpower the dish, the sardines, honestly, were almost imperceptible. I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to saute the garlic and onions, it added great flavor. Thank you for this dish!
Wow amazing!! I loved hearing this! glad to know that even through some obstacles with the almond flour it worked out well for you. I know the consistency will be different with the almond flour just because of the moisture content in the flour. Glad you liked the two cans of sardine sauce, that’s really awesome. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Okay. This pie is to die for!
No kidding!
I used a variety of olives – Nicoise, Castelvetrano and Kalamata.
The dough was fantastic. I was dubious when directions said “pour” into pie plate. But that is exactly what you do. And place the sauce in the middle/on top. The crust then forms this beautiful golden ring around the sauce. I swear it came out looking like a soufflé. Friends asked if it was a focaccia recipe used for the crust. It is so delicious. This pie was a huge hit!
I only used one can of sardines. My friends who live for sardines and anchovies said they would have loved it even more if I had used two cans. I also added capers. Just cuz I love them!
Thank you once again Silvia! I love your recipes.
And, by the way Silvia, your Passionfruit Mousse recipe was once again a huge hit for the Christmas dessert table!
Hi Deb, that’s so wonderful to hear. It warms my heart to see how passionate you are about food and cooking and I LOVE that my recipes are a part of it. Thanks for trying my sardine pie recipe, even tho it is one of those recipes people might frown upon, but not you and that’s what I love about you. Also thanks for your feedback!! xoxo
I just made this and it was absolutely amazing. The dough came out perfect. I used two sardine tins and the pie filling was delicious. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing!
That’s great, so happy to hear Margatita! Thanks for taking the time to share you feedback
Oh my goodness this sounds wonderful! And it’s so pretty.
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