When it comes to cooking grilled fresh sardines with fennel and preserved lemon, there are endless possibilities to create a flavorful and memorable dish. This versatile fish can be prepared in a variety of ways, from simple grilling to more complex marinating and stuffing techniques. With its delicate flavor and tender texture, the sardine pairs perfectly with a variety of herbs, spices, and vegetables, making it a versatile ingredient for any home cook. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a novice in the kitchen, this article will guide you through the process of selecting the freshest sardines, choosing the right cooking method, and creating a delicious grilled sardine dish infused with the vibrant flavors of fennel and preserved lemon.
Let's cook with our recipes!
GRILLED MONTEREY SARDINES WITH LEMON AND HERBS
Provided by Romney Steele
Categories Herb Appetizer Low Cal Backyard BBQ Dinner Lemon Summer Grill Grill/Barbecue Healthy Lemon Juice Sardine Bon Appétit Sugar Conscious
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Place sardines in 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle fish with 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine cilantro, parsley, and lemon peel in small bowl. Mix olives and onion in another small bowl. Brush sardines lightly with oil. Sprinkle half of herb mixture over sardines; turn to coat. Grill sardines until just opaque in center, 1 to 2 minutes per side, depending on size.
- Arrange sardines on platter. Sprinkle with olive mixture, then remaining herb mixture. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with lemon wedges.
SIMPLE GRILLED SARDINES
Grilled fresh sardines are often offered on restaurant menus, but it's very easy to make them at home, whether over hot coals or under the broiler. At the fishmonger, look for firm, shiny, glistening specimens. Sardines are a sustainable fish choice and are high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Most importantly, they are extremely delicious. For a Mediterranean touch, grill the fish on fig leaves: After cooking the sardines on one side, lay four fig leaves on the grill and place two fish, cooked side up, on top of each leaf to finish cooking. The fig leaves will add a subtle perfume to the sardines (they look beautiful, too), but they are not edible.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories dinner, easy, quick, seafood, appetizer, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or stovetop grill pan, or light the broiler.
- Season sardines inside and out with salt and pepper and paint both sides lightly with olive oil.
- Lay sardines on the grill and cook them on one side for about 2 minutes, until nicely browned. (Sardines rarely stick to the grill.) Carefully flip sardines and cook for about 2 minutes more, until just done.
- Transfer each portion to individual plates. Put the sliced fennel in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Place a pile of dressed fennel evenly on each plate. Serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parsley.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 297, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 9 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 36 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 683 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams
GRILLED FRESH SARDINES WITH FENNEL AND PRESERVED LEMON
Steps:
- Cook fennel:
- Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook fennel, onion, preserved lemon rind, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add water and braise, covered, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very tender and slightly caramelized and water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Keep warm, covered.
- Grill sardines while fennel cooks:
- Rinse sardines and pat dry, then spread out on a platter. Drizzle sardines with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt, fennel seeds, and pepper.
- Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot. Oil grill pan and grill sardines, in 2 batches if necessary, turning over once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total per batch. Transfer as cooked to a clean platter with a slotted spatula.
- Stir together lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Serve sardines on fennel mixture sprinkled with dill and drizzled with lemon dressing.
GRILLED SARDINES
Steps:
- Scale and gut the sardines (you can have your fishmonger do this). Wash the sardines under cold, running water and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly salt the sardines with coarse sea salt and refrigerate. Meanwhile, boil 2 potatoes until a knife is easily inserted. Drain and cool.
- Roast 2 red bell peppers over an open flame until charred. Place in a bowl and cover it with plastic to allow it to steam for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the plastic and peel and seed the peppers.
- Cut peppers into 3-inch wide strips and combine in bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat a grill.
- Place the sardines on a hot grill. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and place on the grill. When the sardines are done on first side, flip them over, and give the potatoes a quarter turn to create the grill marks.
- Place 3 sardines on each plate with 2 potato halves and some red pepper salad. For decoration and extra flavor, sprinkle with some thinly sliced onions and garlic over the sardines and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
- The ideal accompaniment for this dish is some Portuguese rolls and a nicely chilled Vinho Verde Portuguese wine.
GRILLED SARDINES WITH LEMON-PEPPER VINAIGRETTE
Provided by Bobby Flay
Time 35m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat grill. Wash the sardines and soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Dry well. Grill the sardines for 3 to 5 minutes until just cooked through.;
- Place lemon juice and shallot in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add pepper and salt and blend for 5 seconds.
SARDINES WITH SICILIAN FENNEL SALAD
Perfect on the barbecue, sardines add a taste of summer to any meal and are the perfect addition to an al fresco salad
Provided by Mary Cadogan
Categories Buffet, Main course, Snack, Supper
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix the lemon zest, chopped parsley and garlic together, then set aside. Pick the fronds from the fennel and set aside. Halve the fennel bulb and finely slice. Make the salad by mixing the sliced fennel and fronds with the pine nuts, raisins, olives, and whole parsley leaves. Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Heat the griddle pan or barbecue. Season the fish with rock salt (this stops them sticking). Griddle for 2-3 mins on each side until the eyes turn white. Sprinkle the fish with the parsley mix and lift onto plates. Drizzle with oil and serve with the salad.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 663 calories, Fat 50 grams fat, SaturatedFat 7 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 20 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 20 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 34 grams protein, Sodium 1.49 milligram of sodium
GRILLED HARISSA SARDINES WITH FENNEL & POTATO SALAD
Pair sardines with harissa to make this fabulous summer salad with fennel, olives and new potatoes. The freshness of the fennel really balances the richness of the fish
Provided by Diana Henry
Categories Dinner, Lunch
Time 50m
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15-20 mins. While they're cooking, remove any tough outer leaves from the fennel and trim the tops, keeping any feathery fronds. Halve lengthways and remove the little hard core from each piece and discard. Cut the fennel into very fine slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Put them in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice. When the potatoes are tender, drain well and toss with the fennel, olives, extra virgin olive oil, some seasoning and the reserved fronds.
- If the sardines haven't been scaled, remove by hand under running water, then wash out traces of blood from the inside and dry with kitchen paper.
- Heat the grill. Mix the oil with the harissa (see our recipe). Put the sardines on a grill tray covered with foil. Brush them with the harissa oil (on both sides), season with salt and put under a very hot grill and cook for 4-5 mins each side, or until cooked through. Pour over the lemon juice and scatter with the parsley. Serve on the fennel and potato salad with wedges of lemon for squeezing over.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 502 calories, Fat 28 grams fat, SaturatedFat 6 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 26 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Fiber 5 grams fiber, Protein 34 grams protein, Sodium 0.8 milligram of sodium
GRILLED SARDINES
What to do about seafood? Nutritionists say we should eat more, that many types of fish are nutritious and contain fats that seem to protect the heart. I know from experience that many of them can make for fine meals. If you've only had sardines from a can, you may turn up your nose at them. Fresh ones will change your mind. Brush them with olive oil, toss a few sprigs of rosemary onto a hot grill, and grill them. Sardines take two to three minutes to grill and about that long to eat. They're a rare treat and a great nutritional package, containing omega-3 fats, selenium, vitamin B12, calcium, niacin and phosphorus.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, main course
Time 15m
Yield Serves four
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Prepare a hot grill, making sure the grill is oiled. Rinse the sardines, and dry with paper towels. Toss with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- When the grill is ready, toss the rosemary sprigs directly on the fire. Wait for the flames to die down, then place the sardines directly over the heat, in batches if necessary. Grill for a minute or two on each side, depending on the size. Transfer from the grill to a platter using tongs or a wide metal spatula, and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 160, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 1 gram, Fat 10 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 15 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 197 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams
Tips:
- Choose the freshest sardines you can find. Look for fish with bright, clear eyes and firm flesh. Avoid any sardines that are slimy or have a strong fishy smell.
- Clean the sardines thoroughly before cooking. Remove the heads, tails, and guts. Rinse the sardines under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Score the sardines before grilling. This will help them cook evenly and prevent them from curling up.
- Marinate the sardines in a flavorful mixture before grilling. This will help to add flavor and moisture to the fish.
- Grill the sardines over medium-high heat. This will help to sear the fish and prevent it from sticking to the grill.
- Cook the sardines until they are just cooked through. Overcooked sardines will be dry and tough.
- Serve the sardines immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Conclusion:
Grilled fresh sardines are a delicious and healthy meal that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and other essential nutrients. Sardines are also a sustainable seafood choice, as they are a plentiful fish species that is not overfished. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to cook sardines, try this recipe for Grilled Fresh Sardines with Fennel and Preserved Lemon. You won't be disappointed!
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