Fresh Sardines

[mondaybox]

when i was a kid we'd take our summer vacation in the south of spain, where the chiringuitos, or beach shacks, would grill fresh sardines, sprinkled with sea salt, on olive wood in in the open air, the resulting scent being intoxicating as we'd take walks along the beach or promenade ... all they needed was a squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil.

i wrote about it in my blog recently: http://apricotcustard.typepad.com/apricot_...la-plancha.html

[melamed]

when i was a kid we'd take our summer vacation in the south of spain, where the chiringuitos, or beach shacks, would grill fresh sardines, sprinkled with sea salt, on olive wood in in the open air, the resulting scent being intoxicating as we'd take walks along the beach or promenade ... all they needed was a squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil.

i wrote about it in my blog recently: http://apricotcustard.typepad.com/apricot_...la-plancha.html

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in a seaside resort south of the Pyrenees I ordered grilled sardines which were delicious- just olive oil, garlic, parsley and lots of lemon juice.

[johnnyd]

The beach shacks in Portugal sometimes serve a "dressing" of chopped onion, tomato, parsley in olive oil and plain vinegar over salted grilled sardines. Ecstasy.

When I see them fresh here, I switch to white balsamic.

[gfron1]

Clearly I missed something. I just posted my sojourn into fresh sardines on my blog, titled Worst Meal Ever. All of your oozing enthusiasm was what led me down this path. All I got was a mouth full of scales and bones and couldn't get past the third bite. That's about $12 a mouthful.

I followed all of the steps above for grilled sardines. What did I do wrong?

[PopsicleToze]

I've never had fresh sardines either and have pined away for them after a lifetime of hearing how great they were. After reading your story, maybe I haven't missed much. However, something must have happened because generations of people can't all have missed the boat. I'm curious to see what some of the answers will be.

[gfron1]

After talking to more folks it sounds like I didn't cook them enough. My friends have said that they should have been almost crispy and fried between two grill screens. Mine were soft and wet.

[prasantrin]

After talking to more folks it sounds like I didn't cook them enough.  My friends have said that they should have been almost crispy and fried between two grill screens.  Mine were soft and wet.

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How large were your sardines? (Sorry, at work now and blogs are blocked, so I can't take a look).

I don't think sardines need to be almost crispy, and they certainly don't need to be fried. They are usually best grilled, in my opinion. I made the sardine recipe (escabeche?) on Abra's blog, and it was perfect! My sardines were on the small side (not as small as Portuguese canned ones, but about the same size as Filipino canned ones). I would imagine larger sardines might need to be cooked differently.

[gfron1]

I'd say about 8 inches when whole. About 4-5 inches once processed.

[Jon Savage]

I've had them just gutted, scaled and grilled. Sublime.

Sarde en saor

is also a favorite preparation (I ate pounds of this in Venice recently).

I've been hard pressed to find Sardines fresh enough to play with in So Cal but did come across some lovely largish smelt on the way home from work yesterday.

Prepped them the same way as I'd do Sardines to fry, butterflied, dredged in seasoned flour and *briefly* fried.

Our dinner tonight:

[Katie Meadow]

6ppc, I too was knocked out by the Sarde en Saor I had in Venice. I ordered it everywhere it was on the menu. There was great variety in the preparation--no two places did it exactly the same way.

I love grilled sardines--I love the flavor, the price, how good for you they are, and how environmentally friendly they are. One place I shop in the East Bay carries them occasionally and will order them with a couple days notice. They are small, like maybe 6 to 7 inches, very fresh, and best of all, they are cleaned, which is a job I really can't stand. The bones are left in, which is fine with me, I don't try to take them out before grilling and I don't butterfly them. I just salt them, brush with olive oil, and grill them for a couple of minutes per side on high heat so the skin gets crispy. Deeply satisfying served with a lemon wedge or nothing. I do like the idea of a tomato salsa a la Portuguese beach shack, though. That sounds yummy.

[Jon Savage]

6ppc, I too was knocked out by the Sarde en Saor I had in Venice. I ordered it everywhere it was on the menu. There was great variety in the preparation--no two places did it exactly the same way.

I've been enjoying that dish for the better part of 30 years in Venice. It is in a word... Special. Always different yet still the same. Really any small bait fish will do in lieu of sardines. Tonight's smelt were superb.

[saltedgreens]

I like pre-salting them about 30 minutes before they hit the grill. Crispy skin. Tame the richness with a little grapefruit. Honor it with shiso.

[Soup]

I found some awesome fresh sardine yeterday at the local store They are about 5 or 6 inches long and are really fresh (amazing looking eyes and bright silver skin). I just had them gut and scale so head and tail are still on them.

Now I have them at home. How doe I cook them? I would appreciate your thoughts. My first thought is simple salt and pepper and broil or grill with a dash of EVVO.

[mkayahara]

My first thought is simple salt and pepper and broil or grill with a dash of EVVO.

That's exactly what I would do.

[Katie Meadow]

How sad that the last post about fresh sardines was in 2009. It's been a horrendous week here in Northern CA. We have relatives in Napa and in Santa Rosa. All are safe, so far, but many have not been so lucky. The air is foul all over the bay area. The only bright spot has been the re-appearance of fresh sardines. For several years there was a ban on sardine fishing due to a drastic drop in their population, but all of a sudden they are back, and beautiful. We grilled them today and it was heaven. Of course, not everyone loves fresh sardines, but those of us who do here on the CA coast, they are a treat not to be missed. The prices are wacky. At one upscale fish market they are selling for $10 per pound, cleaned. At Berkeley Bowl they won't clean them for you but they are selling them for under $3 per pound. Sort of exciting, given that fresh wild King salmon is scarce along the CA coast this year and Alaskan salmon is selling for close to $30 per pound at most places. Black cod is up too, above $20 for the first time in memory here. So, sardines! Sustainable, super healthy, delicious! 

[liuzhou]

The most memorable meal I ever ate was free sardines. About 30 years ago, I was in a small town in France on the Mediterranean coast beside the border with Spain. On one of the Christian festivals (Assumption, I think), the local fishermen feed the entire town on a feast of grilled sardines, baguettes and the local wine. I was invited to join them.

 

The festival took place (and maybe still does) in the dock area, the ugliest part of an otherwise beautiful town, and hundreds of people enjoyed the beautiful fresh sardines without a care for the surroundings. I can't remember how  many sardines I ate - a lot. Excellent peaches were also provided for dessert.

Thinking back, my sardine counting failure may have had something to do with the buckets of wine I also had.

Edited October 13, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[scubadoo97]

@liuzhou Martigues?

 

sounds wonderful 

[liuzhou]

10 minutes ago, scubadoo97 said:

@liuzhou Martigues?

 

sounds wonderful 

 

Martigues isn't near the Spanish border. I was in Canet-en-Roussillon.

 

It was wonderful. I ended up buying a house there. Sadly, long since sold.

[scubadoo97]

All I know is I have a craving for fresh sardines now and they are not to be found.  Only nasty frozen ones processed  for bait shops.