A fresh sardine bears little resemblance to its oily, overly fishy tinned cousin; rather, it tastes of the sea—briny, but clean. I first tasted a fresh sardine while volunteering in Morocco when I was in my early twenties. Our little camp of idealistic volunteers ate what could be had from local markets—mostly chicken, lamb, potatoes, vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and fresh fish caught just offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. We sliced the sardines open and cleaned them. Then we packed them with garlic and fresh herbs before grilling them over an open flame. Ten years later, I still prefer sardines prepared in this way, as the clean flavor of fresh herbs complements the fish’s briny oiliness. I like to serve them with a little chopped preserved lemon, garlic, and parsley.
SERVES: 4 TO 6
INGREDIENTS:
SARDINES
- 2½ pounds cleaned sardines, with heads and tails left on
- 2 teaspoons finely ground unrefined sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin
- olive oil
GREMOLATA
- 2 preserved lemons, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to high.
- Rinse each sardine, inside and out, and pat it dry.
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, paprika, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil. Stuff the mixture into the sardines, dividing it evenly, then truss each fish with 100 percent cotton cooking twine.
- Oil the grill grate and grill the sardines until the fish is cooked through and the flesh flakes easily when pierced by a fork, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Transfer the sardines to a serving plate. To make the gremolata, in a small bowl, stir together the preserved lemons, parsley, and garlic. Serve the gremolata alongside the grilled sardines.
