- Recipes
Crispy Fried Sardines with Sauce Vierge
Crispy Fried Sardines with Sauce Vierge
By Morrisons
Published on 24 February 2025
These Crispy Fried Sardines with Sauce Vierge are a taste of the Med! The sardines are coated in a light and crispy batter, then fried until golden brown. They're served with a vibrant tomato and herb sauce that's packed with flavour.Time and servings
1 hr 10 minsTotal time
2Servings
25 minsPrep time
15 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 500g Market Street Sardines, cleaned and heads removed
- 1 lemon, finely grated lemon zest and juice for the sauce
- 30ml olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 150g plain flour
- Sunflower/olive oil, for shallow frying
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- 4 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 3 tbsp fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon, parsley and coriander roughly chopped
- 80ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml red wine vinegar
- ½ tbsp of lightly toasted and crushed coriander seeds
- Salad, to serve
Method
8 stepsFor the sauce
Step 1
Score a cross in the skin of the base of the tomatoes and place in a bowl.Step 2
Boil a kettle and pour enough hot water over the tomatoes to cover them. Leave for 10 seconds until the skin near the cross starts to curl. Place in cold water, then peel off the skin.Step 3
Roughly chop the tomatoes, then cut through the centre and cut into quarters. Use a small knife to cut through the flesh at the top and pull out the seeds, or use a teaspoon to scoop the seeds out.Step 4
Combine the chopped tomatoes, 2 crushed garlic cloves, fresh herbs, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and coriander seeds in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
For the fish
Step 1
Place the sardines, lemon zest, olive oil, 3 crushed garlic cloves, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Set sardines aside to marinate for 30 minutes.Step 2
Dust the sardines in the flour.Step 3
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add enough sunflower or olive oil to reach a depth of approximately 1cm. Cook the sardines, in a couple of batches, for 1 minute each side or until golden and crispy.Step 4
Serve with the prepared salad leaves and the sauce Vierge.