Grilled Sardines with Lemon and Garlic, Crushed New Potatoes and Tomato Salad

Foodedo recipe

Grilled Sardines with Lemon and Garlic, Crushed New Potatoes and Tomato Salad

Serves 2

35 min

Quantities are kept as written by the author.

Whole grilled sardines stay at the centre of this simple Mediterranean-style meal, served with lemony crushed new potatoes and a fresh tomato-parsley salad for a proper lunch or light dinner.

Ingredients

9 items

  • Fish
  • 8whole sardinesgutted, scaled and cleaned, about 550-650 g total
  • Potatoes
  • 750 gnew potatoeshalved if large
  • Salad
  • 250 gcherry tomatoeshalved
  • 2lemons1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
  • Fish
  • 2garlicfinely grated or crushed
  • 45 mlolive oildivided
  • 15 gflat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
  • 1 tspsea saltdivided, plus extra for the potato water if you like
  • 1 / 2 tspblack pepperor to taste
Recipe notes (2)
  1. Fish prep: If the sardines are not already prepared, ask the fish counter to gut, scale and clean them for you.
  2. Food safety: Prepare the salad and serving lemon before handling the raw sardines so ready-to-eat ingredients stay separate from the fish and anything that has touched it.

Method

6 steps

  1. Potatoes

  2. Step 1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and salt it lightly if you like. Add the new potatoes and simmer for 15-18 minutes until tender all the way through. At the same time, heat a large grill pan or barbecue to high so it is fully hot before the fish goes on.

  3. Salad

  4. Step 2. While the potatoes cook, put the cherry tomatoes in a bowl with half the parsley, 15 ml of the olive oil, 15 ml lemon juice, a pinch of the salt and a little black pepper. Toss and set aside. Cut the second lemon into wedges for serving.

  5. Fish

  6. Step 3. Mix the garlic with 15 ml of the olive oil and 15 ml lemon juice. Pat the sardines dry well with kitchen paper, then rub the mixture mainly inside the cavities and lightly over the outside. If any thick bits of garlic cling to the skin, wipe most of them back into the cavities so they do not scorch on the grill. Season the fish all over with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a good pinch of black pepper. Keep the raw fish, tray and any utensils that touched it away from the salad and lemon wedges, and wash your hands, board and knife after handling the sardines.

  7. Potatoes

  8. Step 4. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pan for 30 seconds over a low heat to steam off excess moisture. Add 15 ml of the olive oil, most of the remaining parsley, 15 ml lemon juice and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then lightly crush a few of the potatoes with the back of a spoon so they catch the dressing. Cover to keep warm.

  9. Fish

  10. Step 5. Lay the sardines on the hot grill or grill pan in a single layer. If they will not fit comfortably without crowding, cook them in 2 batches. Grill for 3-4 minutes on the first side until the skin is blistered and lightly charred, then turn carefully and cook for 2-3 minutes more on the second side. They are ready when the flesh is opaque right through to the bone at the thickest part and comes away easily from the backbone. Rest for 1 minute off the heat.

  11. Step 6. Divide the crushed potatoes and tomato salad between 2 plates. Top with the grilled sardines, scatter over the remaining parsley and serve straight away with the lemon wedges for squeezing over at the table.