Recipe Sardeles Ladolemono (Greek marinaded sardines)

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I never gave sardines enough credit. They’re not treated particularly well in the United States, unlike other countries. I would pick them up from time to time, mostly as an emergency ration in case of an apocalyptic event. But, the transformation of these $1.29 beauties into little bites of Mediterranean sunshine really surprised me.

I’ve tried them with crackers before, and in a sandwich. I always felt compelled to add something to them out of the tin, because it seemed like the fishy flavor needed a boost. Here, I want to savor every bite.

I originally photographed them on the parsley because I wanted something pretty to make the picture look better. But, parsley is a perfect compliment. It really doesn’t need anything else. Crackers are fine, however.

This recipe also helped me appreciate fresh parsley. I got used to the bits of green confetti that made a pasta dish look pretty, but didn’t contribute anything to the flavor. Likewise, how dumb it was that chefs in the in The States in the 70s started putting parsley on the plate as a decoration.

Anyway, part of my survival rations includes a mammoth 15 ounce can of Mexican sardines and tomato sauce.

I made this recipe intentionally without sauce, but I wouldn’t mind mixing tomato sauce in next time.

Thank you, sardines. And now a confession. The sardines in the top picture are not single fish. They are fragments that I reassembled. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to the memories of the sardines.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 9 ounces sardines in water (not sauce)
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Green onions, cut in thick pieces

Directions

1. Whisk together first five ingredients together. Add salt gradually if you’re not sure how salty you’d prefer.

2. Depending on the quality of the sardines, you may have to remove the head and bones. I used a simple canned variety, which does not contain any complete fish.

3. Layer parsley and green onion pieces on the bottom of a resealable container. Place sardines on top. Pour mixture over the fishies. Place additional vegetation on top.

4. Seal container and refrigerate. If you want a less intense pickling, try a piece after a few hours. I decided to wait about 24 hours. This caused the garlic citrus flavor to permeate every bit of the flesh. The greens add a fresh note with every bite.

 

[badjak]

I'll give it a try if I can fined tinned sardines without sauce
I love fresh sardines

 

[Barriehie]

Used to get fresh/frozen sardines and mackerel at the seafood shops in Las Vegas. Tins only here.