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Sardines three ways

Preparation time
over 2 hours

Cooking time
10 to 30 mins

Serves
Serves 2

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the sardine tart

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • small pack puff pastry, rolled and cut into a 9cm/3½in round
  • 1 tsp anchovy paste or gentleman’s relish
  • 1 tbsp black olives, chopped
  • 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 2 sardines, filleted and sliced into thin strips lengthways

For the baked sardines

  • 1 tsp pine nuts, toasted and chopped
  • pinch caster sugar
  • 1 tsp raisins, soaked in hot water, drained and chopped
  • 1 tsp toasted breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp chopped parsley
  • 1 orange, juice only
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 butterflied sardine, deboned, tail attached
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pickled sardines

  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 100ml/3½fl oz boiling water
  • 50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
  • pinch dried chilli flakes, toasted
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 sardine, filleted and cut into thin strips
  • 1 sprig oregano, leaves picked
  • 1 tsp baby capers
  • olive oil, for drizzling

For the garnish

  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp baby watercress salad
  • 100g/3½oz crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp lemon oil

Method

  1. To make the tart, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  2. Heat the butter in a pan, add the fennel and fry over a gentle heat, until very soft and caramelised.

  3. Prick the puff pastry all over and bake for 10–15 minutes, with a baking tray on top. Remove from the oven and cover in a thin layer of the anchovy paste. Cover with the caramelised fennel, olives and thyme. Criss-cross the sardines over the top and bake for 5 minutes, until golden and risen.

  4. To make the baked sardines, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Mix the pine nuts, sugar, raisins, breadcrumbs, parsley and orange juice together. Stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

  5. Fill the sardine with the stuffing and secure with a cocktail stick. Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through.

  6. To make the pickled sardines, mix the onion, water, vinegar, chilli, star anise, garlic and peppercorns together. Pour over the sardines and leave for a few hours to steep.

  7. Remove, stack on top of each other and garnish with the oregano, capers and a drizzle of olive oil.

  8. To serve, arrange all three on a plate and garnish with the fennel, watercress salad, crème fraîche and lemon oil.

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