Sunday, May 8th, 2011
Grilled Marinated Sardines
I can hardly spend all this time in Portugal and not put up a recipe for sardines.
Unfortunately I’m not a big lover of small, boney fish – I even remove the back bone from tinned sardines! I hate the fact that I have to probe every mouthful looking for the bone that got away. I do love the flavour though so, every now and then I put my reservations to one side and have another go.
This is a lovely marinade for sardines albeit not Portuguese. The Portuguese tend to simply grill or BBQ them with a splash of olive oil and a little seasoning.
INGREDIENTS:
1¼ lb (600g) fresh sardines or if you prefer mackerel, cleaned and heads removed
1 shallot, finely chopped
a splash of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice and rind of ½ lemon
juice and rind of ½ lime
1 sprig fresh basil finely chopped
1 tsp (5ml) brown sugar
1 tsp (5ml) balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp (5ml) poppy seeds
METHOD:
Wash the sardines and soak in cold water for 10 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the marinade by mixing all of the remaining ingredients, except the poppy seeds and half the basil, together in a shallow dish. Place the sardines in the dish and marinade for atleast 30 minutes.
Remove the fish from the marinade, place on a tray under the grill and cook for about 12 minutes turning regularly.
Remove from the grill and shower with the poppy seeds and remaining basil and serve.
