Grilled Fresh Sardines With Fennel And Preserved Lemon Food

SIMPLE GRILLED SARDINES

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or stovetop grill pan, or light the broiler.
• Season sardines inside and out with salt and pepper and paint both sides lightly with olive oil.
• Lay sardines on the grill and cook them on one side for about 2 minutes, until nicely browned. (Sardines rarely stick to the grill.) Carefully flip sardines and cook for about 2 minutes more, until just done.
• Transfer each portion to individual plates. Put the sliced fennel in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Place a pile of dressed fennel evenly on each plate. Serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parsley.

GRILLED HARISSA SARDINES WITH FENNEL & POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15-20 mins. While they're cooking, remove any tough outer leaves from the fennel and trim the tops, keeping any feathery fronds. Halve lengthways and remove the little hard core from each piece and discard. Cut the fennel into very fine slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Put them in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice. When the potatoes are tender, drain well and toss with the fennel, olives, extra virgin olive oil, some seasoning and the reserved fronds.
• If the sardines haven't been scaled, remove by hand under running water, then wash out traces of blood from the inside and dry with kitchen paper.
• Heat the grill. Mix the oil with the harissa (see our recipe). Put the sardines on a grill tray covered with foil. Brush them with the harissa oil (on both sides), season with salt and put under a very hot grill and cook for 4-5 mins each side, or until cooked through. Pour over the lemon juice and scatter with the parsley. Serve on the fennel and potato salad with wedges of lemon for squeezing over.

GRILLED FRESH SARDINES WITH FENNEL AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Cook fennel:
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook fennel, onion, preserved lemon rind, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add water and braise, covered, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very tender and slightly caramelized and water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Keep warm, covered.
• Grill sardines while fennel cooks:
• Rinse sardines and pat dry, then spread out on a platter. Drizzle sardines with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt, fennel seeds, and pepper.
• Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot. Oil grill pan and grill sardines, in 2 batches if necessary, turning over once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total per batch. Transfer as cooked to a clean platter with a slotted spatula.
• Stir together lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Serve sardines on fennel mixture sprinkled with dill and drizzled with lemon dressing.

SARDINES WITH SICILIAN FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Mix the lemon zest, chopped parsley and garlic together, then set aside. Pick the fronds from the fennel and set aside. Halve the fennel bulb and finely slice. Make the salad by mixing the sliced fennel and fronds with the pine nuts, raisins, olives, and whole parsley leaves. Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.
• Heat the griddle pan or barbecue. Season the fish with rock salt (this stops them sticking). Griddle for 2-3 mins on each side until the eyes turn white. Sprinkle the fish with the parsley mix and lift onto plates. Drizzle with oil and serve with the salad.

GRILLED SARDINES

Steps:

• Scale and gut the sardines (you can have your fishmonger do this). Wash the sardines under cold, running water and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly salt the sardines with coarse sea salt and refrigerate. Meanwhile, boil 2 potatoes until a knife is easily inserted. Drain and cool.
• Roast 2 red bell peppers over an open flame until charred. Place in a bowl and cover it with plastic to allow it to steam for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the plastic and peel and seed the peppers.
• Cut peppers into 3-inch wide strips and combine in bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Preheat a grill.
• Place the sardines on a hot grill. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and place on the grill. When the sardines are done on first side, flip them over, and give the potatoes a quarter turn to create the grill marks.
• Place 3 sardines on each plate with 2 potato halves and some red pepper salad. For decoration and extra flavor, sprinkle with some thinly sliced onions and garlic over the sardines and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
• The ideal accompaniment for this dish is some Portuguese rolls and a nicely chilled Vinho Verde Portuguese wine.