How to Cook Sardines

In some countries, sardines are considered to be a poor man's fish. In others, however, those that are caught locally are enjoyed as delicacies. Like mackerel, sardines are oily fish and are highly nutritious. Although you can use them with heads intact, most people are a little squeamish about that and prefer to remove the heads. But don't worry about the bones, as they disintegrate when the sardines are cooked.
Some of the more popular preparation methods include grilling and barbecuing. But don't be shy about preparing them on your stovetop. Greek whole sardines with pine nuts and parsley is an easy-to-prepare lunch entrée for 4 that is healthy, simple, and savory. Serve it with fresh lemon or lime wedges, hot crusty bread, and a crisp salad with Caesar dressing and grated Parmesan cheese.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh garlic cloves Green olives Fresh parsley Green onions Fresh lemons Whole fresh ungutted sardines, heads on or removed Extra virgin olive oil Flour Salt Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Chop 2 cloves of garlic very finely. Slice 4 Tbsp. green olives. Coarsely chop ¼ cup parsley. Finely chop 1 small bunch green onions. Cut 4 lemons into quarters. Slice 1 lemon into very thin slices. Put these aside.

2. Put 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced garlic, the chopped green onions, and ¼ cup raw pine nuts. Saute over medium heat until the garlic and pine nuts are golden brown.

3. Lightly dust 16 whole sardines with flour. Add them to the pan in a single layer, and squeeze the lemon quarters over them. Sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

4. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn the sardines. Scatter the green olive slices over them, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and cover with the thin slices of lemon. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Scale fresh sardines under cold running cold by briskly rubbing your fingers back forth over their sides, if they haven't already been scaled.

• Don't gut the sardines before you cook them. Cooking with entrails intact imparts a very distinctive flavor to the flesh of fish. Scrape the entrails out of them after cooking, or simply eat around the belly area.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish