Grilled Sardines Portuguese Style

Inspired by Emeril Lagasse

David just bought 4 sardines at the Farmers Market yesterday, I used 2 plum tomatoes and 1 beefsteak tomato to make the tomato mixture, all the rest of the quantities for the tomato mixture were the same. We found that 3 minutes wasn’t quite enough, the skin wasn’t crispy enough, must remember to watch that next time. Probably depending on the heat of the grill, we still use charcoal so control of the heat is a mysterious art form. Also it was dark outside and on the chilly side in mid December! But the fish is utterly delicious especially with the tomato mixture.


Ingredients

12 to 16 fresh whole sardines, scaled, cleaned and rinsed. Heads left on.
1 lb plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsley chopped
1/3 cup parsley coarsley chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
2 tablespoons shallots minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon sliced into 1/3 inch thick rounds
4 plum tomatoes (1 lb approx) halved.




 Directions

Jason made these the first time, I was flapping about in the kitchen not paying attention, but did stop to take a picture of a gutted fish. I am glad I did photo this step, I had forgotten about scaling, gutting and cleaning! It was really helpful to watch a demonstration of this on U-Tube, (Passionate About Fish - How to Prepare Sardines) It showed how to prepare sardines with the head on, head off, how to filet and how to make a butterfly filet. I highly recommend watching this, seeing is learning.

Scale a sardine by running the back edge of a knife from the tail towards the head to make sure there are no scales remaining. Rinse off any remaining scales. Next remove the gill by lifting
the gill flap and with a knife, slice down behind, then insert a finger and pull the gill out a  red slimy bit is attached. Next, with a sharp knife, slit down the belly and pull the innards out, so you have the back bone and slender bones remaining. Thoroughly rinse the sardines and place on a paper towel.

Lay sardines side by side on a clean,

dry kitchen towel or on paper towels
and gently roll together into a cylinder
to remove excess moisture.
Leave the heads on, not to be eaten but
serves as a support while grilling.
Refrigerate until ready to use. (It is
very important that the sardines are
sufficiently dry before oiling,
 seasoning, and grilling.)




Preheat a very clean, well-oiled grill or broiler to high.



In a medium mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, olives, parsley, basil, cilantro (if using), shallot, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 /2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Set aside at room temperature until sardines are ready to be served.


Transfer sardines to a small rimmed
baking sheet and drizzle 1/4 cup
olive oil over them. Turn sardines
in oil to coat. Oil grill grate one more time before you begin cooking. We did not put the fish directly on the grill grate, but instead used the contraption pictured here, easier to turn the fish.
Season sardines on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.


Place directly on grill and cook, undisturbed, until skin is crispy and lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn sardines over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. (If you try to turn the fish too soon, they will stick to the grill. Be patient here and the fish will turn easily once the skin has crisped.

While fish are cooking, brush lemon slices and tomato halves lightly with remaining 1 /4 cup olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste, and place on grill. Grill until softened and nicely marked on both sides, about 2 minutes.


Place tomato mixture on a serving platter, arrange grilled sardines on top, season them a final time with sea salt and black pepper, and drizzle with remaining 1 /4 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 /4 cup olive oil. Serve immediately with the grilled tomato halves and grilled lemon slices.

We added grilled sourdough slices. Slice the sourdough bread thickly, brush with oil and rub with a garlic clove. Grill quickly on grill, no more than two minutes on each side.