Fresh Sardines

These cheap fish can make an exclusive variety of dishes which are delicious, especially in Summer! Although many fishermen use sardines as bait, I must say that this fish are a large source of omega-3, protein, calcium, B12 and vitamin D. Another pro is that they are relatively bought for few euros — just ask the fishmonger to clean them for you by removing the backbone and opening them up. I was lucky to get a kilo of them last weekend and tried up the following recipes:

Fried Sardines

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• 8 filleted sardines
• 2 tblsp white wine vinegar
• flour
• olive oil
• fresh lemon wedges
• sea salt

Cook sardines for 30 minutes on low heat with 2 tblsp of vinegar. When ready flour them and cook them in hot olive oil until light brown. Serve with fresh lemon and sea salt.

Aubergine parmigiana with sardines

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Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 800g filleted sardines
• 2 small aubergines
• 4 large fresh tomatoes
• 40g parmesan grated
• 2 garlic cloves
• fresh parsley
• fresh basil
• olive oil

Fry the aubergine slices in some olive oil and dry excess oil with a paper napkin. Chop the fresh tomatoes into cubes and tear the basil leaves into small pieces. Finely chop the parsley together with the garlic. Take a dish and start layering the parmigiana. Start with a layer of aubergines, top with the sardines, tomatoes, parsley, garlic and basil, scatter some parmesan and repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Cook in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees celsius for around 30 minutes. Serve with some olive oil on top and crusty bread.