Baked Sardines with Tomato, Chile, Garlic, and Fennel
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
fresh sardines
parsley, finely chopped
fennel tops, finely chopped
olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the sauce:
olive oil, for frying
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced or grated
2 red chiles, finely sliced
about 1 lb fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
parsley, finely chopped
fennel tops, finely chopped
Instructions:
Clean and gut the sardines. (You can chop the heads off, but I prefer to keep them whole.) Score the flesh and rub in the chopped herbs. Place in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Bake in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.
In the meantime, make the sauce: sauté the onion in a heavy-bottomed pan until translucent, but not yet golden. Add the garlic and chile and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and herbs. Season. Turn the heat down to low, place a lid on and leave to gently stew for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes have ‘melted’ and formed a chunky sauce.
To serve, place the sardines on a platter or individual plates, spoon over the sauce and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the juices.
From livetoeat.co.za