Portuguese Style Sardine Pasta Food

PORTUGUESE STYLE SARDINE PASTA

Steps:

• Place a big frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and a drizzle of the sardine oil. When hot, add the bell pepper and cook until slightly soft. Add the red onion and garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the red onion and garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the olives and let everything slowly fry until it reaches a softer texture.
• Move your ingredients to one side of the frying pan and if necessary add another splash of olive oil and lightly fry your cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.
• Once the skin of the tomatoes start wrinkling, combine it with the rest of the pan, and add our chilli pepper and the sardines, breaking it into smaller pieces.
• Add zests of one lemon and a splash of white wine or lemon juice to deglaze the pan and bring all those flavours together. Let it sizzle for another couple of minutes.
• While you wait, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. The recommended proportion is around 1lt of water per 100 grams of pasta.
• Once the pasta water is boiling, begin cooking your spaghetti. Following the recommended instructions. For "al dente" pasta, remove from the water a minute early to taste.
• Add the tomato paste and half of a cup of the pasta water into your sauce. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. The starch from the pasta water will help our sauce to bond with the spaghetti. Try the sauce and check if you need to adjust the salt or add another splash of pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and add it immediately into the saucepan and gently combine everything.
• Serve the finished sardine pasta into two pasta bowls and add some freshly grated black pepper and parmesan cheese on top!

SARDINES PORTUGUESE-STYLE

Steps:

• Lay the sardines on a clean kitchen towel, and remove any excess moisture from them. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
• Preheat a grill or broiler to medium high, and make sure the grates are VERY clean (to prevent the fish from sticking).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, olives, parsley, basil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well, then set aside at room temp until you are ready to serve.
• Place the sardines on a rimmed baking sheet, then drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, turning to coat completely. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.
• Oil the grill grates well, then place the sardines directly on the grates. Cook undisturbed, until the skin is crispy and slightly charred (2-3 minutes), at which point they will release easily from the grill. Turn them over, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• While the fish are cooking, brush the lemon slices and tomato halves with some of the remaining olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on the grill with the fish, and cooked until they get char marks, about 2 minutes.
• Place the sardines on a serving platter, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Serve immediately, with the grilled lemon and tomatoes, and the tomato-olive vinaigrette spooned over the top.

PORTUGUESE-STYLE SARDINES ON TOAST

Steps:

• Using your hands, remove the skin and bones from the sardines - simply hold the fish under a gently running tap and rub the skins off with your thumb.
• Gently open the fish and remove any bones. Flake the flesh and leave on one side
• Finely dice the red onion. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds, before plunging them into cold water. Remove their skins and seeds and finely dice the flesh.
• Toss the tomatoes and onion with the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin seeds and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, rub the toasted bread with olive oil and garlic, and heap the sardines onto the bread. Scatter over the tomato mixture and garnish with the Feta cheese.