I know so many people who don’t like sardines or pilchards their basically the same. They associate them with a strong fishy smell that lingers in your home for days after you’ve cooked them. I can relate to this a bad fish experience can haunt you. However if you buy your fish fresh from the fishmongers and eat on the day of purchase if possible then the fish should smell more like the ocean than of fish.
These little silver gems of a fish are too good not to give a second chance. Their packed full of flavor plus their beautiful to look at, their ridiculously cheap and best of all they are incredibly good for you providing your body with protein and omega 3 an essential fat that’s good for your heart, body and mind. I like to keep them simple and grill them or quickly pan fry them, their also great on the bbq. You could put them in pasta, in a sandwich, on toast with a tomato sauce so many options. So go on give these silver beauties another chance if you don’t already love them.
Grilled sardines with pickled red onion, orange and dill print recipe
Serves 1 Takes 20 mins plus 30 mins for the onions
Serves 1 Takes 20 mins plus 30 mins for the onions
Ingredients
For the onions
1/2 a red onion finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of half an orange
pinch of salt
3 Sardines, gutted and descaled
1/2 a lemon thinly sliced
Zest of 1/2 an orange
1 tbsp capers
Small bunch of dill
Drizzle of oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
1.For the onions put the sliced onions in a bowl and pour on boiling water leave for 30 seconds to soften.
Pour off the water and squeeze on the lemon and orange juice, add a pinch of salt, put in the fridge to marinate and soften for at least half an hour but longer if possible.
2. Preheat the grill to a high heat, drizzle the sardines with oil, salt and pepper, and the orange zest and grill for about 5 minutes on each side. When the sardines are crisp place on a plate and add the rest of the capers, dill and some of the pickled red onions.
Stunning fish…viva la fresh sardine!
This is such a refined and elegant dish, Rebecca! And the colours are beautiful; I imagine anyone that you served this to would be extremely pleased! PS your cat is really cute!!!
Thank you Hannah. I will let my cat Diego know!
This looks absolutely amazing!!! I've never tried sardines, but I think it's time that I did so -espesh after seeing this beautiful dish!
Thanks for your comment Anne, give sardines a try they can be really delicious.
This is such a pretty dish! My mom loves sardines so I totally have to make this for her 🙂
Thanks Phi hope your Mom like them. x