Char-Grilled Sardines
Whole sardines grilled hot and fast, finished with lemon and sea salt.
Everything you'll need
- 800 g Whole sardines, cleanedback soon
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Lemon
- to taste Sea salt
- 1 handful Fresh parsley, chopped
The method
- 1
Pat the sardines very dry and rub them all over with olive oil and a little salt.
- 2
Heat a grill pan or barbecue until very hot.
- 3
Grill the sardines for three to four minutes a side until the skin is charred and blistered and the flesh is opaque.
- 4
Lift onto a platter, squeeze over the lemon and scatter with parsley and more sea salt.
- 5
Serve straight away with bread or a sharp green salad.
About this dish
Sardines are cheap, oily and full of flavour, and they are at their best grilled over high heat so the skin blisters and the flesh stays juicy. There is barely a recipe here, which is the point. Dry them well, oil them lightly, and get the grill very hot so they release cleanly. A squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt is all the finish they need.
