Description
A traditional dish of stuffed sardines, ideal tapas for a summery day.
Ingredients
6 fresh whole Portuguese sardines or pilchards, cleaned and gutted (ask your fishmonger)
Stuffing
1 C (250 ml) fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
½ C (125 ml) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ C (60 ml) fresh dill, finely chopped
10 capers, finely chopped
8 anchovies, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 fat cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
Fried Caper Berries
A small saucepan of cooking oil for deep-frying
12 caper berries
Salsa
250 g baby Rosa tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, finely chopped
½ C (125 ml) black pitted olives, chopped
Handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
¼ C (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Stuffing
Combine the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl and spoon generously into the sardine cavities.
Place the stuffed fish onto a greased baking tray and roast for about 12 minutes until the flesh is slightly golden, tender and cooked.
Fried Caper Berries
Meanwhile, heat the small saucepan of oil and fry the caper berries until crispy and golden. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
Salsa
Mix the salsa ingredients together.
To Serve
Arrange the fish on a platter and top with the salsa and caper berries.
Serve with garlic bruschetta or a freshly baked baguette.
