Grilled Sardines with Nasturtiums, Oregano and Chili, and Rosemary Tarator

By MiNDFOOD

Father's Day is just around the corner, and the perfect time to bust out the barbecue. This delicious grilled sardine dish from Kitchen by Mike is packed with herbaceous flavour, and is a great starter for a family dinner.

 

Serves 6-8 as a starter

Prep time 30 mins

Cook time 5 mins (plus softening)

 

Ingredients:

  • 12 whole sardines
  • 65g preserved lemon rind, rinsed and diced
  • 60g raisins, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup each (firmly packed) mint, flat-leaf parsley and oregano, finely chopped
  • Olive oil, for brushing
  • 1 large red chilli, finely sliced
  • Nasturtium leaves, to serve

For the Rosemary Tarator:

  • 50g sourdough bread, crusts removed, coarsely torn
  • 20g walnuts
  • 50ml milk
  • 1 hard-boiled egg, coarsely crumbled
  • ½ cup each (firmly packed) rosemary, mint and flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped chives
  • ¼ cup (firmly packed) tarragon
  • 1tsp baby salted capers, rinsed and drained well
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 200ml olive oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

For the Lemon Dressing:

  • 50ml extra-virgin olive oil 
  • Juice of 1½ lemons

 

Method:

  1. For the rosemary tarator, soak bread and walnuts in milk to soften (4-5 minutes). Squeeze excess milk from bread and transfer to a blender with walnuts.
  2. Add egg, herbs, capers and anchovies, blend to combine, and then add oil in a thin stream to form a rustic sauce. Add lemon juice and season to taste, set aside. Tarator will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
  3. For lemon dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and set aside.
  4. Snip the sardine backbones at both ends of the cavity and remove ribs with your fingers (they lift out very easily).
  5. Combine preserved rind, raisins and herbs in a bowl, season to taste, then stuff into sardine cavities. Season to taste with a little salt and refrigerate until required.
  6. Heat a barbecue to high heat, brush sardines with olive oil and grill to just char and cook through (1-2 minutes each side).
  7. Transfer to a platter lined with nasturtium leaves, spoon lemon dressing over and serve with rosemary tarator.

 

For those in the Sydney area, Kitchen By Mike have a brand new family meal food box, the perfect delivery to arrive on Father’s Day. All the favourites, delivered to your door. All meals are designed to feed 4 adults very comfortably or a family of 5. We want to bring a little bit of Kitchen By Mike to you and take the stress out of cooking. Really good food, made really easy.

Box to include:

  • Mike’s Famous Sourdough Bread
  • Red Lentil Dahl (Vegan)
  • Ocean Trout Fillets Yakitori
  • Butternut Squash, Black Bean and Sprout Enchiladas
  • Beef Stew, Red Wine and Mushroom
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding

Click here for more information, and to order

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