Description
Discover how to make delicious Grilled Sardines and Anchovytomato Pie with our step-by-step guide. Perfect your cooking skills and impress your guests today!
Ingredients
- 300g green tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 long red or green chillies (30 g) sliced, or more to taste
- 1-2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
- 25 tsp (1 ml) black peppercorns
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper
- 1tsp (5 ml) caster sugar
- 150ml filtered water or boiled and cooled water
- 3tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
- 1tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 30g fresh parsley leaves picked and finely chopped
- 10g fresh oregano leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1-1.2 kg whole fresh sardines (about 20-24 fish), gutted and descaled
- 3tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for cooking
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs leaves stripped and finely chopped
- 2 lemons 1 zested and juiced, 1 cut into wedges
- Fresh bay leaves (optional )
Instructions
- Begin preparing the sauce three to four days ahead of time.
- In a sanitized 500ml container, arrange the tomatoes, chillies, garlic, and peppercorns in layers.
- Combine 3g of salt and half a teaspoon of sugar with the filtered water until dissolved, then pour this mixture over the tomatoes, making sure they are completely submerged (use a fermentation weight or press down with a smaller sterilized container).
- Cover the jar loosely with a lid or cheesecloth and let it sit at room temperature for three to four days, stirring it daily.
- By the second or third day, you should notice a tangy aroma and bubbling.
- When ready to cook, drain the tomatoes (keep the brine), and transfer them to a food processor with the rest of the sugar, lemon juice, and vinegar, then blend until you achieve the desired sauce consistency, either chunky or smooth.
- Mix in the herbs and adjust the seasoning or acidity to your liking; if necessary, add a bit of the reserved brine.
- Rinse the sardines under cold water, pat them dry with a paper towel, and place them in a shallow dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, minced garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, a tablespoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of ground black pepper, then thoroughly coat the sardines with this mixture and let them sit for at least 15 minutes.
- If cooking outside, prepare a barbecue, allowing the coals to burn until covered with white ash.
- Grease the grill grates to prevent sticking or use a fish basket, and place bay leaves (if you choose to use them) directly on the hot coals.
- Position the sardines across the grill grates, so they don’t fall through (or place them in the basket), and cook for three to four minutes on each side, until the skin becomes crisp and slightly charred, and the flesh is opaque and flaky.
- For indoor cooking, preheat the grill to its highest setting, arrange the sardines on a large lined baking sheet, and grill them for eight to ten minutes.
- Present the sardines on a serving dish with lemon wedges and serve the tomato sauce on the side in a separate bowl.
Notes
- Keep the tomato mixture in a cool, dark spot for stable fermentation.
- Crush garlic cloves to intensify their flavor in the sauce.
- Vary chili amounts to adjust the sauce’s spice level.
