Sardines on the Gril Rule — Les sardines grillées sont reines

July 20, 2007

BBQ grilled sardines

Grilled Sardines
With Marinated Fennel and Radish Salad

Bring me some good fish oil, B12 and D vitamins, will you?

I say, Sardines!

Although I cook and eat fish a lot and often, I realize that I rarely blog about it. This does not seem to be making a lot of sense to me.

I have always had this special tie to sardines. I really like sardines! Every time I visit my fish monger, my eyes are always in search of these precious little fish. “Do you have sardines today?” I hear myself ask so often that it now seems an old song to my fish guy. “I can special order some, if you like,” he often replies, when failing to meet my desperate need.

Yes, I know he can. But don’t you agree that there is so much more fun when you can spontaneously go home with a bag of fresh sardines, without having to wait?

Sardines

When I was a kid, we use to BBQ sardines a lot, especially while we were away on vacation à la mer (by the seaside), like many French people during les grandes vacances (summer vacation). We particularly loved to explore the West coast of France with its large beaches and tides, from Brittany to Vendée and l’île d’Oléron, where it was less hot and crowded. But as kids, did we really care? The point for us was voir la mer, ramasser des coquillages et jouer avec les poissons (see the sea, collect shells and play with fish). There, the fish was so good, and fresh of course! A treat was to walk to the market every day, and twice a week, bring some fresh sardines to prepare une friture de sardines**, or grill them. The sardines we found were tiny, much smaller than the ones I find here. Not sure what the reasons are, but I surely should try to find out (making a note to myself). And because they were so small, we could swallow down the whole thing, without having to pay close attention to les arêtes (fish bones). The best memory.

With the sardines I find here however, no such luck. Even if trying to, it is just impossible to eat the bones. They are too big. But this does not stop me whatsoever. On the grill, sardines are simple to make and delicious.

sardines

There is nothing difficult in this recipe. It is really how you prefer them. Enjoy the BBQ as long as you can, with sardines. This is one of the best ways to keep the heat from cooking outside, non ?

**Friture: deep-fried, a word close to what is commonly known as fritter. If you know the word “frites” (French fries), you understand “friture” then. Same root.

Sardines on the Gril

(For 4 people)

You need:

  • 8 sardines (medium, more if small)
  • Fresh thyme
  • Fresh savory
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Salt and pepper

Steps:

  • Grate the garlic cloves with a microplane to have it very fine.
  • In a bowl, mix the garlic with the oil, salt and pepper, and the herbs finely chopped. Coat the sardines with this sauce and place in the fridge, covered, for 1 hour.
  • When ready to eat, heat a grill.
  • Cook the sardines on each side for 3 to 4 min only, according to size. Brush with the sauce while cooking. Adjust the seasoning.
  • Serve the grilled sardines with a marinated fennel and radish salad — with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice — and plain Jasmine rice.
Le coin français
Sardines grillées au thym

(Pour 4 personnes)

Ingrédients :

  • 8 sardines (moyennes, plus si petites)
  • Thym frais
  • Sarriette fraîche
  • 4 càs d’huile d’olive
  • 2 gousses d’ail
  • Sel et poivre

Étapes :

  • Rapez les gousses d’ail très finement avec une râpe microplane, si vous en avez une (sinon hachez très finement).
  • Dans un bol, mélangez l’ail avec l’huile, du sel et du poivre et les herbes hachées finement. Enrobez les sardines de cette sauce et placez au frigo pendant 1 heure, à couvert.
  • Une fois prêts à servir, faites chauffer votre gril.
  • Cuisez les sardines de chaque côté pendant 3 à 4 min seulement, selon la taille des poissons. Badigeonnez-les de sauce pendant la cuisson. Rectifiez l’assaisonnement.
  • Servez les sardines grillées avec une salade de fenouil et radis roses marinée — huile d’olive, sel et poivre, et un peu de jus de citron — et un bol de riz jasmin Thaïlandais.

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43 Comments »

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  1. what good lookin’ fish you got! I can already taste it with a nice squeeze of lemon and a good beer.

    Comment by Steamy Kitchen — On July, 20th, 2007 at 10:41 am

  2. J’adore les sardines grillées, une belle idée de marinade !

    Comment by bergeou — On July, 20th, 2007 at 11:02 am

  3. I, too, love sardines! I even blogged about them recently too!

    Comment by Kova — On July, 20th, 2007 at 11:09 am

  4. I live in Cambridge too. You should visit
    New Deal Market
    622 Cambridge St
    Cambridge, MA 02141

    * (617) 876-8227

    for fresh fish.

    Comment by Mai — On July, 20th, 2007 at 11:44 am

  5. i just searched your blog all morning for good fish ideas bec im having company tonight, and i thought wow, there is not so much fish, doesent she like fish…and then this :-)

    Comment by pessy — On July, 20th, 2007 at 11:59 am

  6. Ta 2eme photo c’est un véritable tableau …faut l’encadrer , si si je t’assure !

    Comment by mercotte — On July, 20th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

  7. Love fresh sardines…hard to find here but when I do it’s a real treat…and fresh anchovies…yummm!

    Comment by Tartelette — On July, 20th, 2007 at 1:35 pm

  8. Bea…only you can make sardines look so damn sexy on a plate. I had them in Porto and they were so good! Guts still intact but who cares? It probably gave them better flavor.

    Comment by rowena — On July, 20th, 2007 at 5:45 pm

  9. mmm, grilled sardines, may have to try that way!

    Comment by Kat — On July, 20th, 2007 at 6:33 pm

  10. This has to be one of my favorite dishes! I adore grilled or roasted sardines! So glad you wrote about them.

    Comment by Mercedes — On July, 20th, 2007 at 9:08 pm

  11. I’m a massive sardine fan too. will definitely be giving your grilled version a go when I can get my hands on some

    Comment by jules — On July, 21st, 2007 at 1:41 am

  12. yummy~ like fish,like sardines

    Comment by YOYO's Food — On July, 21st, 2007 at 2:30 am

  13. Growing up we always had canned sardines.
    My first fresh sardines were our first land meal after our first Atlantic crossing. We were in the Azors. Oh my goodness. They were a revelation. Such tasty little bites. We ordered them every meal we could.
    That first picture is captivating.

    Comment by MyKitchhenInHalfCups — On July, 21st, 2007 at 2:33 am

  14. Just came across your site.LOVE it! And just when I needed dinner inspiration…ha! I’ve already got my bottle of Muscadet Sevre et Maine chilling. Thanks for sharing!

    Comment by bruce — On July, 21st, 2007 at 4:23 pm

  15. mmmm… sardines are good! I’m rather fond of them. If you like them, if you ever get the very chance of eating eulachon (ooligan) fish, you’d most likely enjoy them. They are an oiler fish with lots of fishy yummy goodness that beg to be treated just as you treated these lovely sardines.

    Comment by Nerissa — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 2:15 am

  16. oops … that is: the very RARE chance

    Comment by Nerissa — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 2:16 am

  17. Une sardinade ! Voilà ce qu’il nous faudrait pour conjurer la pluie et la grisaille de ces derniers temps !

    Et si en plus, il y a de la vitamine D et B12, pourquoi se priver ?! ;O)

    Personnellement, c’est grillées que je les préfère et je les accompagne d’une petite rouille, exquis !

    Amicalement blog,
    Ingrid

    Comment by Ingrid — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 4:12 am

  18. What beautiful photos. I have never seen such appetizing fish! Sounds absolutely wonderful.

    Comment by Truffle — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 8:29 am

  19. I am so happy to see this post, Béa! I LOVE sardines as well. They are a big part of our cuisine. You have reminded me that we don’t grill them often enough. These are beautiful!

    Comment by Ivonne — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 11:01 am

  20. Bea, I coat sardine fillets in beaten egg and herbs and then roll them in crushed macadamia nuts before frying them in virgin olive oil, then I serve them on a salad of fresh leaves drizzled with balsamac. YUM

    Comment by jennie — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 4:01 pm

  21. Well, I don’t eat sardines BUT that second picture is too cool.

    Comment by peabody — On July, 22nd, 2007 at 11:58 pm

  22. oups j’en ai mangé des fraiches samedi soir à paimpol toutes pareilles aux tiennes. Vive la Bretagne

    Comment by marie — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 12:50 am

  23. miam…j’ai faim!

    Comment by lory — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 am

  24. looks simple yet nice. Very nice pitures!!

    Comment by Lemongrass — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 5:24 am

  25. You’re right, sardines are reigning now! Nothing more wonderful than the sight of some sardines over the coals! Lovely pics.
    Ronell

    Comment by Ronell — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 5:34 am

  26. Such a beautiful ode to summer, Bea. Once when we lived in a small apartment without a terrace we were so desperate for grilled sardines we cooked them in the house. The house, our clothes, the carpets, everything smelled of them for at least a week. But it was worth it. Grilled sardines are the perfect summer food!

    Comment by Lucy Vanel — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 7:38 am

  27. I owe a wonderful lunch to you, Bea. I was inspired by the sardines on your blog so I suggested to my FinLaw as a lunch item. They were quite splendid and toothsome.

    Comment by Nerissa — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 am

  28. Thanks a lot to all of you for your suggestions — which I take notes of, ie fish monger in Cambridge (where I have been before btw, but thank you!), comments and nice words. I am also glad that I inspired a lunch (Nerissa), thank you. And Mercotte, yes encadrer la photo, pas mal comme idee. Merci! I agree sardines grilled on BBQ are a highlight of summer eating!

    Comment by Béa — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 1:59 pm

  29. Those are some gorgeous photos of sardines Bea! I’m salivating for some right now!

    Comment by Anita — On July, 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm

  30. If a cooked sardine could be reincarnated as a 19th century dandy, this is exactly what it would look like. J’adore your photos!

    Comment by Monique — On July, 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm

  31. What a beautiful memory that is. I adore grilled sardines, and I long for the day I don’t live in a little New York apartment with no fan over the stove, so I can make them to my heart’s content without infusing the scent into everything I own! Really lovely photos here.

    Comment by Figs Olives Wine — On July, 25th, 2007 at 9:20 am

  32. Sardines have never looked so good! Your photos are beautiful!

    Comment by Amy — On July, 26th, 2007 at 12:40 pm

  33. Your sardines look so good Bea I can almost smell and taste them! The last time I had grilled fresh sardines was by the sea in Malaga, Spain…so delicious! (and great memories too…) :)

    Comment by joey — On July, 27th, 2007 at 2:54 am

  34. You’re right! Sardines are the best summer fish on the grill – we have it every weekend when we go to the beach…..grilled sardines with lemon and a tomato and red onion salad and a glass of cold white wine….a perfectly simple summer lunch.

    Comment by Gourmet Traveller — On July, 30th, 2007 at 4:42 am

  35. Merci beaucoup pour cette délicieuse promotion de notre belle ile d’Oleron. Un vrai petit coin de paradis.

    Comment by lionel — On August, 8th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

  36. Je suis toujours admirative des photos de ton blog, mais là en plus je les trouve rigolotes comme tout :)

    Comment by Wonder Sophie — On August, 13th, 2007 at 9:21 am

  37. Finally, there are other ways to cook the sardines. Thank you Bea, and the other readers who shared their sardine recipes. We are celebrating the annual BC Sardines Festival on Sep 01 2007. Find out more at http://www.bcfishmonger.com
    Cheers to all!

    Comment by Djoma — On August, 26th, 2007 at 5:14 pm

  38. Je Deteste Sardines… but the sardines in your photographs look appetizing even to me because they are portrayed so beautifully!

    Comment by shelly — On October, 30th, 2007 at 12:09 pm

  39. I saw fresh sardines today. How do you clean them, or do you, and how do you cook them?

    Comment by Theresa Smith — On December, 20th, 2007 at 6:51 pm

  40. Hi Theresa,

    To clean, you need to make sure they are properly scaled, and then you cook everything. See recipe attached here. I typically like to grill them.

    Comment by Béa — On December, 20th, 2007 at 7:11 pm

  41. [...] about Fennel (and Arugula, and Apple), a vegetable that I am particularly fond of, in case you have not yet noticed (see more recipes below). Then the salad is simple to toss together, and fresh, [...]

    Pingback by Tidbits: Boston Globe & Bloggies 2008 Nominations — Quelques nouvelles: le Boston Globe & les nominations Bloggies 2008 by La Tartine Gourmande — On January, 9th, 2008 at 11:12 am

  42. Thx for awsome recipe,can u plz tell me does this fish has its own oil,becase when ever i try cooking there is extra oil in dish ,will appersiate ur reply.

    Comment by Seema — On March, 6th, 2008 at 2:51 am

  43. I’m very late to comment, but oh my goodness! Yet another photo of fish that makes me want to cry. They were so beautiful, and reminded me of my first fresh sardines (Cannes, late June last year).

    Comment by Jess — On May, 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm

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