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Is Sardine kosher?

Yes — Sardine is kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Sardine has fins and scales, which are the two requirements for kosher fish under Jewish dietary law (Leviticus 11:9-12).

Sardine (Sardina pilchardus / Sardinops species)

Image: Photo by This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0 · licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Scientific name
Sardina pilchardus / Sardinops species
Hebrew name
סרדין
Also known as
Pilchard, Pacific Sardine, European Sardine, Bristling
Habitat
Temperate coastal waters worldwide
Kosher status
Kosher

About Sardine

See: Herrings The European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea at depths of 10–100 m (33–328 ft). It reaches up to 27.5 cm (10.8 in) in length and mostly feeds on planktonic crustaceans. This schooling species is a batch spawner where each female lays 50,000–60,000 eggs. The European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea at depths of 10–100 m (33–328 ft). It reaches up to 27.5 cm (10.8 in) in length and mostly feeds on planktonic crustaceans. This schooling species is a batch spawner where each female lays 50,000–60,000 eggs. Description The European pilchard is a small to medium-sized, somewhat elongated, herring-like fish. The origin of the pelvic fins is well behind that of the dorsal fin, and the last two soft rays on the anal fin are larger than the remainder. The upper parts are green or olive, the flanks are golden and the belly is silvery. Not to be confused with its American counterpart, the California pilchard, Sardinops sagax, the European sardine Sardina pilchardus does not have a row of dark blotches. They also have scales that are in an irregular order. Ventral scutes on the European species have sturdier keels that are also more keeled. Gillrakers are significantly different from those on Sardinops...

Source: kosherfish.co/kosher-fish-list (snapshot 2025-12-19); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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