Crunchy greens, sardines and citrus make salad hefty

Bold, complementary flavors used to compete with the fishiness.

Last summer, at the doctor’s appointment that confirmed I was pregnant, my obstetrician gave me lots of advice: A cup of coffee a day was A-OK; no need to spring for fancy prenatal vitamins — any daily multivitamin was fine; and, most memorably: “Make sure you increase your calcium intake,” she said with a big smile. “After all, your body is growing new, tiny bones right now.”

In that moment, the magnitude of the situation crystallized in my mind. As she listed a few common sources of calcium — dairy products, leafy greens, tofu — I had a vision of a miniature skeleton growing in my belly, and a sudden, urgent sense of purpose. “Oh, and sardines,” she added. “The bone-in ones in the can.”

Later that day, I bought eight cans of sardines. I love sardines, whether fresh or preserved. The only problem was that I was well into my first trimester, and fishy smells prompted my gag reflex.

Still, I was determined. I put on a face mask in an attempt to minimize the stench and peeled open a can.

I was picturing a salad that had the heft of a sandwich, so I started by cubing a few slices of whole-grain sourdough. As the croutons crisped in an olive oil-slicked skillet, I sprinkled them with lemon-pepper seasoning salt. While they were cooling, I chopped up the vegetables I happened to have on hand, including radishes, cucumbers and celery. Next, I reached for raw red onion, fresh dill, parsley and lemon — bold, complementary flavors that could compete with the fishiness.

I tossed the vegetables together before adding the sardines and the oil they were packed in. The chopped herbs went in next, followed by the lemon’s zest and juice.

As I mixed, a simple dressing formed. Finally, I pushed the mask away from my mouth and took a bite. It needed a bit of salt and pepper, and, of course, the croutons.

By this point, I was quite hungry, so I started eating it out of the mixing bowl. When my partner, Joe, walked into the kitchen, I asked whether he was hungry. He served himself as I started cleaning up, already thinking about my next meal.

I hadn’t planned on developing a new recipe that day — I was focused on eating well, on “growing new, tiny bones.” But, as Joe finished his plate, he said: “This is pretty good. You should write this one down.”