Not only delicious but incredibly healthy.
Today I’m talking to you about Sardines with Tomato Sauce: a combination made… in heaven!
It’s a Mediterranean-flavored main course that also works wonderfully as a pasta sauce!
The flavors of the Italian summer!
We’ve decided to make a simple and fresh tomato sauce, but you can add capers, arugula, olives, and fresh herbs to make it even more flavorful.
And if you don’t feel like cooking the sauce, fried sardines are incredible on their own too!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg of very fresh sardines
- 480 g of diced tomato pulp
- 2 finely sliced shallots
- 6-8 leaves of basil or parsley
- 1 chili pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 100 ml of vegetable broth
- salt to taste
- semolina flour
- peanut oil
- fine salt
PREPARATION
First, prepare the sauce; thinly slice the shallots and cut the garlic into slices. In a large pan, heat the oil and gently sauté the shallots, minced chili pepper, and garlic over low heat.
After a few minutes, add the tomato pulp, the washed and chopped basil, then season with salt and add the vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil, then let the sauce simmer over low heat with the lid semi-covered for at least 25-30 minutes.
While the tomato sauce is cooking, clean the sardines: remove the heads and innards, then wash them thoroughly under running water to remove any scales.
Allow the fish to dry with the belly opening downwards on multiple layers of kitchen paper.
Gently dab the fish with another piece of kitchen paper, then dust them with flour, removing excess flour using a sieve.
Heat a generous amount of peanut oil in a pan and fry the sardines until they turn golden for a few minutes. Then, place them on kitchen paper and sprinkle them lightly with fine salt.
Once the tomato sauce has cooked and thickened to the desired consistency, add the sardines. Cover the fish with the sauce and let it sit covered, staying warm, for at least 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Serve the sardines with tomato sauce hot, accompanied by a side dish of your choice and a great chilled white wine.
