I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BE SAYING THIS AS A CHEF but for me sardines can smell and taste a bit strong so,cooking them in this way, where a generous stuffing is the real hero, softens the flavour and transforms them. The herbs and lemon zest add freshness and acidity and the gentle background of breadcrumbs and cheese contrasts with the oily fish. This is a classic version of a dish you’ll find all over the South. The sardines are butterflied then wrapped around the filling which varies according to the cook before they’re deep-fried. I’ve also tucked a basil leaf over and around my filling to help prevent any of it falling out. Sharing these as an antipasto always gets people talking, not only as Italians try and work out the cook’s choice of ingredients, but because the mozarella melts and stretches when you bite into them andthere’s guaranteed to be mess. Serve the sardines with something fresh and crunchy to cut through the richness, such as the fennel, puntarelle, orange and olive salad or the caramelisedTropea onion salad .
SERVES 4
12 medium sardines, butterflied (ask your fishmonger to remove the backbones but keep them whole with their tails on) 80g pitted black olives 80g mozzarella 50g sun-dried tomatoes 20g pecorino cheese, grated 50g fresh breadcrumbs ½ tsp dried oregano grated zest of 1 lemon, plus a little juice 12 large basil leaves 3 medium eggs 250g dried breadcrumbs plain fl our, to dust sunfl ower oil, for deep-frying
Wash the sardines. Place the olives, mozzarella and sundried tomatoes on a chopping board and chop them all together.Transfer to a bowl and add the pecorino, fresh breadcrumbs, oregano, lemon zest and a few drops of lemon juice. Mix well to get a compact mixture. Spread some of the mixture down the middle of each sardine.
Cover with a basil leaf then roll up the sides of each sardine around the basil leaf so that the leaf tucks the fi lling inside the fi sh. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Place the dried breadcrumbs on a plate. Dust the sardines with fl our, then carefully dip them in the egg one by one and then in the breadcrumbs. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a large, deep saucepan or deep fat fryer to 165ÅãC. Fry the sardines in batches for about 3 minutes, remove each batch with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper then deep-fry again for 3 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper again and serve hot.
