Broiled Sardines à la Gremolata...

Sardines are abundant and delicious! They are super cheap and so very good for you- low in toxins like PCBs and mercury, and really high in healthy omega-3s. On travels with my husband way back when sans kids (sigh... oh those were the days...) we've had our share of fresh sardines from simmered sardines and sardine sashimi in Japan, marinated sardines on toast in Spain, and simple grilled sardines with a bit of sea salt in Oporto, Portugal. They were always so-O good- slightly fatty, juicy and darn fresh as though they were just caught from the sea... eating from these countries they probably were.

I didn't really think of cooking them at home, seeing it more as a restaurant treat and also a mess to engage in the kitchen. However, after preparing and gutting my first fish- a rainbow trout we caught over the summer, I say what the heck! Inspired by a sardine recipe I came across served with gremolata (a wonderful Italian-inspired chopped herb condiment with parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil), here is what I did with a bag of thawed frozen Portuguese sardines. 

First, we need to clean and gut the sardines and it's not pretty! 
NOTE: Cover your chopping board with newspaper to prevent stains of scales, blood and innards.

Cut the head off and make an incision down the length of the belly. Scoop out the innards and rinse in cold water.

Take the dull edge of a paring knife and scrape any loose scales away. Rinse the fish.

Grasp the top fin between your index finger and thumb and pull sharply toward the head. It should come off easily. Now pull out any little bone that runs across the top of the fish.

To remove the vertebrae, carefully open the fish flat from the belly side, exposing the entire backbone. Slowly work your index finger under the backbone, separating it from the flesh, and working your way steadily toward the tail. Pull sharply, taking the tail with you. You should have a flat, boneless double fillet of sardine. Rinse and dry the sardines one last time.

All you need to do is just blend the ingredients for the marinade using as much as you need to cover the amount of fish you're using, and mix together the gremolata ingredients to your taste.

For the marinade: Whisk together equal parts olive oil and lemon juice. You want just enough to cover the fish. Add some chopped garlic and parsley. Marinate fish for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

For the gremolata: Mix together zest from the lemons, finely chopped parsley, chopped garlic, bread crumbs (optional), and chopped capers (optional). Add a little bit of olive oil just until the mixture comes together.

Remove the sardines from the marinade and preheat the broiler. Lay the sardines out in a single layer in a baking dish or tray. Spread them evenly with the gremolata. Place under the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.

Absolutely gorgeous and tastes divine! The salty, tangy, herby flavour of gremolata goes well with this slightly fatty and tender fish! My kids loved the taste but were weary of the small bones. Just be careful with the tiny bones, although if you removed most of the larger ones the tiny ones are edible! Messy to prepare yes, but so worth the effort. Next time I will make them Japanese-style with so many yummy ways to cook it!