Fried whole sardines with olives, pine nuts and parsley
“Great hot straight from the pan”
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 16 whole sardines, heads removed
- 1 cup unbleached white flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp small green olives
- ¼ cup preserved lemon, finely sliced
- ½ cup curly parsley, roughly chopped
- lemon quarters, for squeezing
Great hot straight from the pan with a crunchy bitter-green salad, dressed with a dollop or two of a garlicky aioli or mayo.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a broad, shallow pan. Throw in the pine nuts and sliced garlic and keep them moving as they brown.
Lightly dust each sardine with flour and drop into the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt then toss in the olives, preserved lemon and parsley and cook for 3 minutes. Turn fish over to fry another 1-2 minutes.
To serve
Dish up while hot and crunchy with a squeeze of lemon.
Serves 4