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Whole Sardines with Fresh Herbs and Crème Fraîche

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Whole Sardines with Fresh Herbs and Crème FraîcheCopyright © 2003 by Christopher Hirsheimer

I'm a huge fan of small fish such as anchovies, baiting, and, of course, sardines. Unfortunately, when many Americans think of sardines, they picture tiny fish drowned in oil, or some other saucy mixture, packed side by side in a small, flat can. But fresh sardines are a wonderful fish, nothing like their canned counterparts. Typically 5 to 6 inches in length, their flesh has a quite delicate flavor. If you can find them, sardines imported from Portugal have the best flavor.

Because of their small size, it is easiest to leave on the skin of sardines—it also imparts a great flavor. That said, remember that it is extremely important to wash the sardines very well, rinsing off all their scales under cold water. Scoring the skin will allow the fish to more easily soak up the flavorful marinade. Don't marinade the sardines for any longer than 2 hours or they will become mushy and pasty. Just enjoy them as soon as they're done marinating, with a silky dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds fresh sardines, cleaned, boned, and filleted
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons salt
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
6 shallots, thinly sliced

Marinade

1/2 cup virgin olive oil
Leaves from 6 sprigs thyme
Leaves from 6 sprigs oregano
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream for garnish

Preparation

  1. Lightly score each sardine crosswise on the skin side, three times per fillet. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the sardines, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and shallots. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Before serving, drain the sardines, discarding the lime juice, garlic, and shallots. In a bowl, blend together the marinade ingredients. Add the sardines and gently toss. Garnish with crème fraîche.

From The Great Ceviche Book, Revised by Douglas Rodriguez with Laura Zimmerman. Copyright © 2003, 2010 by Douglas Rodriguez. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
TagsCevicheLatin AmericanSardineFishSeafoodStarterDinnerNut FreeGluten FreeNo-CookCookbooks
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