Sicilian-style Sardines
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Recipe serves 2
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Preparation Time
10 min
- Cooking Time
5 min
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, plus half a lemon
- 4tsps olive oil, plus extra for oiling pan
- 1tbsp pitted black olives, sliced
- 2tbsps small capers
- ½ a Knorr Fish and Shellfish Stock Cube
- 4 sardines, scaled, gutted and heads cut off
- Parsley sprigs, for garnish
Method
- First, segment a lemon. Using a fine, sharp knife, cut a slice off each end so that you can stand the lemon on the board. Then cut the peel and the pith off on all sides, revealing the flesh. Cut along each segment within the white membrane, cutting out each segment of lemon flesh. Cut the lemon segments into pieces, mix with half a teaspoon of olive oil to soften the lemon and mellow its flavour and set aside.
- Mix the capers with a quarter teaspoon of olive oil and set aside. Mix the olives with a quarter teaspoon of olive oil and set aside. The reason I do this is to mellow the flavour of the olives and the capers.
- Make a paste by crumbling the Knorr Fish Stock Cube into 1 tsp of olive oil until dissolved.
- Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Pour a little olive oil into the hot griddle pan then wipe it out with a cloth, taking care not to burn yourself. This will oil the pan so that the sardines don’t stick to it.
- Add the sardines to the red-hot griddle pan and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over the sardines very carefully and cook for 2 more minutes or until cooked through (depending on size). Spoon a teaspoon of olive oil over the sardines in the griddle pan and squeeze over lemon juice from the lemon half.
- Transfer the sardines to a serving plate. Sprinkle over capers and top with lemon segments and sliced olives. I like to be generous with my garnish. Decorate with the parsley sprigs and serve at once.
