FRESH sardines, the kind you might hope to catch when they beach during the seasonal sardine runs, are a natural superfood.
The oily fish are loaded with the omega-3 fatty acids, and what makes it even better for people who can get their hands on them, is they are absolutely delicious.
Here is a recipe to make a basic, but delicious dish of grilled sardines with lemon, garlic, and paprika.
This year some experts are predicting a larger than normal showing by the silvery shoals due to a variety of indicators all too complicated to go into in a story about cooking tasty snack food.
Because of their dainty dimensions, sardines are the perfect finger food for a braai or when you are wanting to have a snack while watching the upcoming games in the latest World Cup Soccer.
They can be prepared in a variety of ways, but crisply grilled over an open flame is one of the most simple ways which even a novice can get right with a minimum of stress.
They are best paired with a crisp wine cooler or your favourite craft beer.
Ingredients
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh juice from about 2 lemons
1 paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Half a kilogram of fresh sardines – cleaned, scaled, and gutted (see the video clip below on how to do that)
Salt, either fine table salt or coarsely ground will do too
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsleyLemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
Preparation:
Combine the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, and black pepper in a small bowl and whisk it all together preferably while singing a song about natural goodness from the sea to show off to your guests how happy you are in the kitchen.
Next line up your fishies in a single layer on the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
Once you have the fish all lined up, toss the marinade over the fish, turning the fish to make sure each of them is completely coated and makes sure the marinade is able to get into the inside cavity of the fish from where you gutted them.
Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Grilling:
Braai the sardines by taking them out of the baking dish and grilling over direct heat until well charred which should take about two to three minutes.
Flip with a metal spatula until the fish is charred on the second side and the fishes are cooked through. This should take not much longer than another 2 minutes.
Remove the sardines from the marinade and grill over direct heat until well-charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a metal spatula or fish turner, flip the sardines over and grill until charred on the second side and cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
Transfer the sardines to a large platter and season with salt before garnishing with chopped parsley and serving with lemon wedges.
