Portuguese wine like Vino Verde are often as rustic as the food and the secret here is local food with local wine! Read more about Portuguese wine.
Sardines are eaten all over Portugal and are appreciated for its simplicity. Grilled or pan fried and served with lemon is still the best way with cold local Vino Verde – a delightful Portuguese wine.
2008 Quinta De Azevedo Vinho Verde, £6.49 (Waitrose) Portugal
Portuguese food is strictly seasonal and almost untouched by modern outside influences. It is earthy peasant food at its best born of the need to make spare ingredients go a long way.
Ingredients:
4 Fresh Sardines (gutted and scaled)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 Lemon
Garlic
Mayonnaise
How:
Again there are no real measurements for this so just add as much as you feel is appropriate.
Ask your fish counter to clean the sardines for you or do it yourself.
Sprinkle the sardines with olive oil, salt & pepper
Fry in a hot pan or grill them under the grill.
Squeeze one lemon over it just before you remove it from the pan
Add some garlic to mayonnaise and a touch of lemon juice.
Total Coast:
Food: £4
Portuguese Wine: £6.49
Looking for more seafood inspiration? Take a look at posts like Tuna Tartare Recipe & El Prado Tempranillo Rosé by clicking the link.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
My big question is “How do you eat these large Sardines? The smaller ones can be eaten whole but I’m afraid of choking on the larger bones. Do you fork off the meat like you would Bass or Trout?
Hi Leonard
I know what you mean – small sardines I eat bones & all – no worries. But with these large Sardines I was skeptical too, luckily these guys were so succulent the meat just fell off the bones easily when forked!
Actually a nutritionist friend of mine said she recommends fish like trout to her clients because forking the meat off the fine bones forces them to eat slower, enjoy every bite & not over eat.
Let us know how you get on with this great rustic Portuguese dish.
All the best
Jean
Sardines are one of the easiest things in the world to make. I love grilling them on the charcoal, or even on the weber grill. Sardines are grilled on medium heat, and you watch the eyes.. Once they are cooked, the sardines are usually ready. A good sardine (yes, there is a prime season for frozen sardines… they taste better than the fresh ones, usually fatter around July and June) skin will easily flake off the body, leaving the tender meat behind.
Some people gut the sardine before cooking it, I tend to leave it alone, and just take care not to squeeze them because the guts make them bitter vs. sweet.
The vinho verde is the perfect summer wine, light, low alcohol, and just dry enough to leave you wanting more without the residual sugars that sometimes linger other white table wines.
And as for forks… nah…. use your hands, bring plenty of napkins, and look for a good portuguese rustic or whole grain bread so you can dip the sardine oil.
OHHHH… and I like the idea of truffle salt, I’ll try that next time. Normally I just use coarse grained kosher salt just before tossing them on the grill. The salt leaves enough taste behind, and enough crunch if it doesn’t fall off the skin.
Great Video,
Hi Manuel
Thanks for the tip about watching the eyes as an indicator for when the fish is properly cooked – never thought about it – brilliant!
And being South African I agree – no forks required. I love eating with my hands – it gets me closer to the texture of the food!
Thanks for the comment.
Jean & the team
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