Description
Bright, crackling herb crust meets rich, oily sardines delivering big flavor in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g small whole sardines, gutted and scaled
- 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (4 tbsp)
- 30 g fresh parsley, chopped (1 cup loosely packed)
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (about 9 g)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 80 g breadcrumbs (1 cup, day-old or panko)
- 25 g grated hard cheese (optional, such as Parmesan or Pecorino) (¼ cup)
- 7 g Dijon mustard (1 tsp)
- 1½ tsp kosher salt (about 9 g)
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 15 ml white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (1 tbsp)
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Pat sardines dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, cheese, mustard, and olive oil. Mix until moistened.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet, add garlic, and cook for 30-40 seconds, then add to breadcrumb mixture.
- Lay sardines on a baking sheet, spread crust mixture on top, pressing gently.
- Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and roast sardines for 8-10 minutes until golden and fish flakes easily.
- Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil before serving, accompany with lemon wedges.
Notes
Avoid overcrowding the pan and serve immediately for the best texture. Make-ahead crumb mix can be stored in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 125 g cooked fish
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg