Looks like summer has finnaly started although late this year. Hopefuly it will extend well into september. On fridays we move to the coast to rest for the weekend. And we rest allright. Food included. After a bustling week with hardly a breakfast in the morning and then lunch or dinner when and if we manage to have it we enjoy even more in preparing food and eating together.
We get up early saturday morning and after coffe I rush to the market to buy fresh catch from the local fishermen and some veggies and potatoes wich are in season on the coast. There is one favourite of all the fish.....the humble sardine. Sometimes I wonder why not so many people are buying this treasure of the sea? They rather reach for the "farmed" bream and seabass. Seems like they don't even care.
For me I eat what I catch but I buy sardines. Cheap but delicious grilled or boiled in little water with lots of olive oil. It is the oily rich sardine taste I like over everything and not to mention the healthy effect of the fish and olive oil as a counter measure to sometimes really crapy food we eat during stressfull weekdays. Anyway.....here is how to do it properly.
Buy your sardines in the morning at the fish market or at the pier from the boat directly (cheapest&freshest). You will notice if sardines aren't fresh by the lose meat and messy gut. Don't by such. It rarely occours but is allways possible they would mix left over fish from previous day in the new catch at the market. Change the vendor if this happens. Clean the fish as soon as you can and if possible rinse in sea water. Keep in the fridge until cooking. For grilling make a fire preferably with grapevine wood but charcoal or even gas grill will do as well but the taste is best when grilled over grapevine wood. Fire must be very hot! Fish skin is good protection for the meat so don't worry to much. Place the grill over coals to heat up, scrape clean and oil with canola oil soaked paper towel. Dry the sardines with paper and align them on the gril side by side. Grill 4 minutes on one side and brush with olive oil before turning. Use rosemary branch instead of brush to make the sardines taste even better. Turn and grill for 3 min more and it's done. Make a nice salad or baked potatoes as a side but white bread and a glass of local vine will do just fine as well. For a lighter meal for people on a diet shortly boil the sardines in little water with a pinch of salt, parsley, garlic, capres and lots of olive oil. We like them boiled for breakfast some times. Remember to eat more fish!!!! :)
We get up early saturday morning and after coffe I rush to the market to buy fresh catch from the local fishermen and some veggies and potatoes wich are in season on the coast. There is one favourite of all the fish.....the humble sardine. Sometimes I wonder why not so many people are buying this treasure of the sea? They rather reach for the "farmed" bream and seabass. Seems like they don't even care.
For me I eat what I catch but I buy sardines. Cheap but delicious grilled or boiled in little water with lots of olive oil. It is the oily rich sardine taste I like over everything and not to mention the healthy effect of the fish and olive oil as a counter measure to sometimes really crapy food we eat during stressfull weekdays. Anyway.....here is how to do it properly.
Buy your sardines in the morning at the fish market or at the pier from the boat directly (cheapest&freshest). You will notice if sardines aren't fresh by the lose meat and messy gut. Don't by such. It rarely occours but is allways possible they would mix left over fish from previous day in the new catch at the market. Change the vendor if this happens. Clean the fish as soon as you can and if possible rinse in sea water. Keep in the fridge until cooking. For grilling make a fire preferably with grapevine wood but charcoal or even gas grill will do as well but the taste is best when grilled over grapevine wood. Fire must be very hot! Fish skin is good protection for the meat so don't worry to much. Place the grill over coals to heat up, scrape clean and oil with canola oil soaked paper towel. Dry the sardines with paper and align them on the gril side by side. Grill 4 minutes on one side and brush with olive oil before turning. Use rosemary branch instead of brush to make the sardines taste even better. Turn and grill for 3 min more and it's done. Make a nice salad or baked potatoes as a side but white bread and a glass of local vine will do just fine as well. For a lighter meal for people on a diet shortly boil the sardines in little water with a pinch of salt, parsley, garlic, capres and lots of olive oil. We like them boiled for breakfast some times. Remember to eat more fish!!!! :)
PePe
