Sardines in saor

Ingredients
12 fresh sardines
flour for dusting
salt and pepper
60 ml olive oil, plus extra
2 onions
2 bay leaves
150ml white wine or rice vinegar
30 g-40 g sugar, or to taste
handful toasted pinenuts
handful sultanas
pinch of ground allspice

Method
Get your fishmonger to fillet the sardines for you. If they are unable to, this is how to do it. Ensure that the guts have been removed. With the spine of the fish pointing up towards you, gently press the fish on a board to flatten. Now turn the sardine over and you should easily be able to pull out the centre bone. Try and remove any little pin bones. Rinse the fish under cold water and dry well on a clean tea towel.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the sardines in the flour and fry in the hot olive oil until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Slice the onions and fry gently with the bay leaves and allspice in a pan with 4 tablespoons olive oil for about 20 minutes until soft.

Add the sugar and vinegar to the onions, followed by the pine nuts and sultanas. Take a small dish and place a layer of the onions in the bottom.  Then layer the sardines on top. Repeat the process finishing with a layer of onions.

It’s best to let this marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours