Plump and delicious sardines and pilchards, are available seasonally, caught off the Cornish coast
These fish are quick and easy to cook, but it is important to season them well and grill them over a really high heat. This gives them the crisp, salty skin that all sardines should have. As long as your barbecue is good and hot, you shouldn’t have any problems, though we do recommend using a sandwich-style barbecue basket to avoid the problem of sticking as you turn the fish.
Sardines have delicate flesh that will bruise and tear quite readily, so be careful when preparing them.
Serves 4
1. Rub the soft, overlapping scales off the sardines with your thumbnail.
2. Use a stout pair of scissors to snip open the belly and trim off the fins.
3. Pull out the guts and carefully tear out the gills. Wash them gently under the tap, pat dry, and they’re ready to go.
4. In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the herbs and garlic. Massage this mixture over the fish, rubbing a little inside the belly too.
5. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and pepper.
6. Lightly oil the sardines and pack them into a barbecue basket.
7. Cook the fish over very hot, glowing embers for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp.
8. Serve with lemon wedges, and accompany with bread and a tomato salad.
Buy The River Cottage Fish Book here
Sustainable fishing and seriously good food with River Cottage: Gone Fishing
Watch Hugh's best Gone Fishing bits
Browse all the fish dishes from River Cottage: Gone Fishing
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