Heres the perfect recipe for the sardine-shy: Take fresh, boneless sardine fillets.
Coat with a boldItalian breadcrumb crustflavoured with lemon, garlic, herbs, capers and pecorino cheese.
Now quickly kiss them with a hot pan untilcrispy.
No dredging required – just press sardines into the crumb mixture
Sardine recipe
Sardines are one of the most underrated fish around.
They are rich in flavour, cheap and good for you (theyre packed with heart-healthy omega 3s).
Theyre also a fast-breeding and sustainably fished species.
Many cultures revere the humble sardine, especially when pulled sparkling fresh from the sea.
Its this southern Italian take on sardines that were drawing inspiration from today.
This recipe is an excellent one for the sardine-wary or first-timers because:
Theres no bones to worry about.
Were using pre-filleted sardines today.
The intense crust flavours stand up to the stronger flavour of sardines; and
Its really quick and easy.
This is a really quick sardine recipe with big Italian flavours thats great for sardine first-timers.
The guts and bones are removed, and the sardines come butterflied, as shown below.
Fresh sardines that arent packaged however have a short shelf life, like all oily fish.
Use preferably the same day you buy them or at the latest the next day.
Directions are in Note 1 on the recipe card.
Scoop up with spatula, pile onto toast.
The fillets just need to be fairly small and thin with a flat flesh surface.
Also the cook time will need to be adjusted slightly for the thickness of the fillet you use.
Ingredients for the Italian Crust and Topping
Heres what you need for the flavour-loaded crust!
Theres quite a few substitution options, so dont be concerned if you dont have everything.
No dredging required – just press sardines into the crumb mixture
Anchovies Were using this as the seasoning (salt) in the crust mixture.
But, will it be too fishy??
I hear you you wondering.
Only the flesh side is coated
Anchovies are a secret ingredient andumami-booster in many classic recipes.
Think ItalianPuttanesca pasta,French Cafe de Paris(steak butter!
),tapenadeand everybodys favouriteCaesar Salad Dressing.
Chefs know evenroast lambbenefits from a few cheeky fillets stuffed or mashed into the flesh.
Finely chopping anchovy fillets is best but for convenience, paste can be used.
If youre immovable on the question of anchovies (but … ), leave it out and add more pecorino instead.
Panko breadcrumbs A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods.
Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you cant find it.
Garlic Hard to find an Italian recipe without!
Lemon We use zest here to bring a beautiful perfume of fresh lemon flavour to the crust.
Really, dont skip this!
Capers Briny goodness to balance out the big savoury flavours going on in this crust.
It will sizzle theatrically when you pour the oil over!
Substitute with finely chopped gherkins or even green olives, for a similar flavour effect.
Pine nuts A classic Sicilian ingredient!
The creamy nuttiness works brilliantly with sardines.
Substitute with: almonds, macadamias or pecans.
Spiciness The chilli were using here are large chillis which are barely spicy.
The rule of thumb is: the larger the chilli, the less spicy they are!
But if youre concerned, leave them out and use more parsley instead.
The actual assembling and cooking part is super quick: 2 1/2 minutes on the stove!
Crumb mixture Mix the ingredients together in a bowl then spread on a small plate.
Prepare sardines Pat the sardines dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
Then sprinklejust the skin sidewith a little paprika.
This gives the skin side and oil a lovely blush, and a hint of earthy flavour.
Press flesh sideinto the crumb mixture.
You wont get a full, thick breadcrumb coverage because were not using the usual egg-flour dredge.
The amount that sticks naturally is exactly what we want.
Sardine fillets are small and thin, so we dont want to overdo the crumb.
This is also the reason why we only coat one side.
Repeatwith remaining sardines then put fish aside on a plate, breadcrumb side up.
Pan fry Cook the sardines for 60 secondsskin side down initially.
Crispy!This is what you are looking for before removing from the skillet golden and crispy.
We want that crisp!
Err, and the golden too for that matter.
Topping Remove the sardines to a serving plate, crust side up.
Then sprinkle with the Topping (onion, chilli, parsley).
It will also have a lovely red tinge to it, thanks to the paprika.
We pour this delicious, hot oil over the sardines.
The topping fries instantly, their aromas and flavours released in a dramatic sizzle!
In fact, why not do this at the table, to impress?
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