Fresh sardines are wonderful and for those who have only had them canned, quite a different kettle of fish! This simple recipe will let them shine.
If you buy your sardines whole they will have to be gutted. This is quite simple if you prefer the heads off. Just cut through the head and pull down and the insides should just pull out. We prefer sardines whole which involves slightly more fiddling around but is still not overly difficult. When you have gutted and washed the sardines dry them well with paper towels and smother them in chilli paste. Sambal Oelek is a good choice as it has plenty of salt and vinegar, or Vietnamese chilli paste which has garlic as well. Depending on which chilli paste you use you may have to season the sardines as well. Allow them to marinate while you thickly slice 1 or 2 onions. When you’re ready to cook, a barbecue with a flat plate is ideal or a heavy pan. Coat the sardines and onions in vegetable oil and cook them together over medium to high heat for a few minutes on each side. We ate ours with rice and a fresh green salad. If you don’t mind crunchy bones you can eat the whole fish.
michelle picker cooks 