Salt-grilled sardines with portuguese salad

Recipes / Fish

Lisbon’s favourite open-air meal is sardinhas grelhadas served with a simple, colourful salad of grilled capsicum, tomato and potato. Sardines are at their best in summer, grilled outside and eaten in the sunshine.

Recipe «Salt-grilled sardines with portuguese salad» presented in category Recipes / Fish, to prepare this dish you will need no more 35 minutes. To make this dish at home by prescription from the author Gomer would need: 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces, 1 tbsp hot smoked paprika, 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra to brush, 1 each red and yellow capsicum, 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped , 1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced, Handful of coriander sprigs, 1 tsp lemon juice , 8-12 fresh sardines, cleaned, 1 lemon, quartered.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces 
  • 1 tbsp hot smoked paprika 
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra to brush 
  • 1 each red and yellow capsicum 
  • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 
  • 1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced 
  • Handful of coriander sprigs 
  • 1 tsp lemon juice 
  • 8-12 fresh sardines, cleaned 
  • 1 lemon, quartered 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering salted water for 8-10 minutes until almost tender, then drain well.
  2. Toss potatoes with paprika and 1 tablespoon oil. Season and spread on a large lined baking tray, then roast for 20 minutes or until golden.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan or barbecue on medium-high heat. Brush the capsicums with a little extra olive oil and grill or barbecue for 4-5 minutes, turning, until the skin blisters. Set aside in a bowl and cover in plastic wrap. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into strips.
  4. Place in a bowl with the cooked potatoes, then toss with tomatoes, onion, coriander, lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Increase the chargrill pan or barbecue heat to high. Brush the sardines and the grill with a little more oil to help prevent sticking. Sprinkle the sardines with 1 teaspoon sea salt – the soft-flaked variety is best – then cook the sardines for 2-3 minutes each side until the skin is scorched and bubbling.
  6. Divide the sardines among plates, then top with the salad and serve with lemon.