With sardines plentiful, here's an interesting dish that makes the most delightful starter. It is delicious served with parsnip chips ! It's also a great barbecue dish!
Ingredients:
12 fresh sardines, butterflied (ask you fishmonger to do this for you!)
2 parsnips peeled
oil for deep frying (sunflower or peanut oil ideally)
sea salt
for the marinade:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons szechuan peppercorns, dry roasted and crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons thai basil - shredded
Start by washing the sardines, and pat them carefully until dry. To make the marinade, dry roast the peppercorns for 2 minutes and crush. Now add the lemon juice, olive oil and the thai basil leaves.
Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Cut the peeled parsnips into thin strips, using a mandoline if one is available. In a saucepan, heat the oil for deep frying to 170 C and cook the parsnip strips a few at a time until gold and crisp. Drain them on absorbent paper and keep warm.
To cook the sardines, preheat the grill or barbecue. Cook the sardines for upto 2 minutes on each side, until they are tender. For smaller fish 90 seconds will suffice.
Serve the sardines with the parsnip chips and a sprinkling of sea salt.
Delicious, particularly with a cold beer!
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