Sardines with chermoula

Name: Sardines with chermoula
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 12 sardines scaled and gutted; 2-3 tbsp harissa to serve; small bunch mint; large bunch coriander; 1 small red onion peeled and quartered; 3 cloves garlic peeled; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 red chilli cut into short lengths; ½ lemon juiced; 1 tsp flaked sea salt; 7 tbsp olive oil

Published: December 19, 2014 at 2:30 PM

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Serves 4

A little effort

Total time: 50 mins

+ marinating

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This fresh, flavour-packed chermoula is a perfect match for sardines with with spicy harissa (which is now available from most larger supermarkets). Chermoula is a marinade used a lot in Moroccan cooking.

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Try this recipe for sardines with chermoula, then check out our grilled sardines, sardine spaghetti, sardines on toast and more sardine recipes.

Ingredients

Nutrition

12 sardines

scaled and gutted
2-3 tbsp harissa

to serve

chermoula

small bunch mint
large bunch coriander
1 small red onion

peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic

peeled
1 tsp ground cumin
1 red chilli

cut into short lengths
½ lemon

juiced
1 tsp flaked sea salt
7 tbsp olive oil

Nutrition: per serving

kcal486
fat36.1g
carbs2.5g
fibre0.3g
protein38g
salt0.81g

Method

step 1

First, make the chermoula. Take the leaves from the mint stalks but leave the coriander whole. Put both in a food processor along with the onion, garlic, cumin seeds, chilli and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and add the olive oil.
step 2

Blitz until the mixture is well blended and almost creamy in texture. You may need to remove the lid and push the mixture down a couple of times with a spatula until you get the right consistency.
step 3

Cut the head off each sardine and trim off the fins. Place each sardine on its opened-out belly and press gently along its back to loosen the spine. Turn over and gently lift out the spine and rib bones all the way to the tail, using a small knife if it’s particularly stubborn. Put the flat opened sardine fillets in a shallow dish and cover with the chermoula. Turn to coat a couple of times, then cover and chill for an hour or so.
step 4

Lift the sardines one at a time from the marinade, smoothing off any excess by sliding your fingers down the length of each fish. Cook over a hot barbecue for about 3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, use a large hot non-stick frying pan lightly greased with a little oil. Cook in batches, starting skin-side down, for about 1-2 minutes on each side until nicely browned and charred in places. Dot with harissa and serve with a little moroccan-style salad (made from iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion and olives and dressed with a little more cumin, chilli oil and lemon).

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