How to prepare,cook and eat sardines.
At home the sardine either came in tins or was used as bait. Here however they are high on the menu both at the markets and at the restaurants. So Glen decided he would like to try some. I hadn't ever thought about cooking them but had seen recipies to do so. So both Glen and I had a sardine cook off.
First buy the sardines. They must be fresh and eaten the same day. That part was easy. The fishing boats come nearly every day with them but we chose to buy at the markets on Thursday. €2.99 per kilo........very economical to feed 4. They put them into a heavy duty paper cone, fold over the top and off you go.
Now, to scale, gut and get the backbone out. I'll bet all you fisherpersons who catch large fish at home are wondering what we are doing. We are wondering too, but get on with the job out on the marina thankyou. First pull the head off taking most of the gut. Run your thumb down the belly to really clean it out. Then push the fish flat, pick up the backbone at the head end and peel it back detatching at the tail. Wash thoroughly and they are ready to cook.
Glen chose to do a fresh tomato, onion and garlic sauce to finish cooking his first choice in and his second way was to pan fry coated with curry and flour. My 2 ways was first to stuff with garlic slivers and drizzle with olive oil,top with some thin lemon slice a nd wrap in grape leaves and pan fried. My second choice was to make fresh breadcrumbs and crumb them and shallow fry.
Liz made the most authentic Greek salad and we sat down to Sardines 4 ways with salad.
Yummie! A little fiddling but what an outcome...........Enjoyed by all with appropriate wines.