an oval platter filled with chunks of sardine, sliced onion and raisins with a fork on a wooden background

Sweet and sour sardines

Name: Sweet and sour sardines
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 12 sardines cleaned, heads and backbones removed, butterflied; 1½ tbsp plain flour; vegetable oil for frying; 40g raisins; 4 tbsp white wine; 1 large white onion peeled and thinly sliced; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 125ml white wine vinegar; a pinch ground cloves (optional); 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds (optional); 1½ tbsp pine nuts

Emiko Davies

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Serves 4

Easy

Total time: 30 mins

+ 24 hours marinating

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Preparing food in saor – the technique of marinating fried food in vinegar and other ingredients – was a favourite Venetian way of conserving food for long trips

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This sweet and sour sardines recipe comes from Emiko's book, Cinnamon and Salt (£20, Hardie Grant).

Recipe author Emiko Davies says: "Preparing food in saor, the technique of marinating fried food in vinegar and other ingredients, was a favourite Venetian way of conserving food for long trips."

This is a recipe that Emiko shared as part of his guide to Venetian cuisine. Check it out to learn about the varied cuisine of this historic Italian city, including deep fried meatballs and carrot mostarda. We also have our Tuscan fish stew, puntarelle salad with anchovies and more easy Italian-inspired recipes.

Ingredients

Nutrition

12 sardines

cleaned, heads and backbones removed, butterflied
1½ tbsp plain flour
vegetable oil

for frying
40g raisins
4 tbsp white wine
1 large white onion

peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
125ml white wine vinegar
a pinch ground cloves

(optional)
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

(optional)
1½ tbsp pine nuts

Nutrition: per serving

kcal409
fat21.7g
saturates4g
carbs17.8g
sugars22g
fibre2g
protein32.2g
salt0.5g

Method

step 1

Dust the sardines in the flour and shallow-fry in oil over a medium-high heat for 1 minute on each side until golden and crisp. Season with salt and set aside on some kitchen paper to drain.
step 2

Soak the raisins in the white wine for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, gently cook the onions in a frying pan with the olive oil over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and transparent, then add the vinegar, the wine from the raisins (set the raisins aside), some freshly ground pepper and the spices, if using. Simmer gently for 10 minutes then remove from the heat. Taste the mixture – if it is too sharp, stir in a pinch of sugar.
step 3

Put a layer of sardines in a dish, top them with some of the onion, raisins and pine nuts, and continue layering until the sardines are used up, then top with a layer of onions, raisins and pine nuts, and finish with the rest of the vinegar sauce poured over the top. Cover and marinate for at least 24 hours in the fridge before serving. It will keep in the fridge for up to one week.
step 4

Eat at room temperature, removing from the fridge an hour before you want to enjoy them. Serve the sardines on slices of toasted or fresh baguette, or grilled polenta.

Check out more of our easy Italian-inspired recipes

Vegan Casarecce Pasta With Raw Tomato Sauce

Authors

Emiko Davies

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