Sardines are one of those no-brainer foods: packed with good fats, very economical and small enough that mercury is not an issue (although that’s not necessarily as big a deal as we’ve been led to believe).
This grilled sardine recipe is perfect for busy week nights, especially since I discovered the joys of Picard for this kind of thing and always try to have frozen sardines on hand. If you’ve bought them fresh at the fishmonger’s, all the better. Just make sure to have them cleaned for you because boy, having to do it yourself definitely takes it out of the easy dinner category.
If the fish are small enough, you can eat them whole — head, bones and all. Fish heads are particularly nutritious, full of goodies like vitamins A & D, iron and calcium.
Ingredients
- 500 grams sardines, gutted and cleaned (if frozen, no need to thaw beforehand)
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- Coarse sea salt, pepper to taste
- Sumac (you can find this tangy-tasting spice in Middle Eastern markets)
- Olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, finely minced
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180° if your sardines are fresh or 200° if they're frozen.
- Lay the sardines in one or two layers in a rectangular ovenproof dish, mixing well with the garlic and sumac. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle olive oil over the whole thing.
- Place in the oven for about 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with the minced parsley. Serve it with some kind of safe starch like a rice pilaf and a green salad. Done!
Oooh! Great idea: I LOVE grilled sardines, but didn’t even think about using Picard in our oven. Makes life easier! Thanks for our Wednesday dinner idea.
Yes Picard is good for this kind of thing. Stock up that freezer!