-
1
Salt the Sardines
30 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Lay the 800 g of cleaned sardines in a single layer on a tray, scatter the 8 g of coarse sea salt over both sides and leave for 30 minutes. Do not add oil, garlic or lemon yet.
Thirty minutes is the sweet spot: less and the skin tears on the grill, more and the fish gets too salty.
Done when: The skin looks slightly firmed and the salt has mostly dissolved into the surface.
-
2
Boil the Potatoes and Grill the Peppers
20 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F); grill at about 230°C (450°F)
Boil the 600 g of baby potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until tender, then drain and keep warm. Set the 2 green peppers on the hot grill for about 8 minutes, turning once, until the skins blister, then peel, seed and slice them.
Boil the potatoes in their skins — they hold together better and taste of more.
Done when: The potatoes yield to a knife with no resistance; the pepper skins are blackened in patches and slip off.
-
3
Heat the Grill
5 Mins
High heat, about 230°C (450°F)
Build a hot charcoal fire, or heat a gas grill or grill pan to high heat, about 230°C (450°F). Oil the grill bars lightly with a little of the 30 g of olive oil so the skin does not stick.
The grill must be properly hot before the fish go on, or the skin sticks and tears.
Done when: A drop of water flicked on the bars hisses and vanishes at once.
-
4
Grill the Sardines
8 Mins
High heat, about 230°C (450°F); fish to 63°C (145°F)
Lay the sardines on the hot grill without crowding and cook for 3–4 minutes a side until the skin blisters and chars in spots and the flesh flakes easily. The eyes turn white when the fish is done — check the thickest fish reaches 63°C (145°F) inside.
Turn each fish once, with tongs, and do not press it down — pressing squeezes the juices out.
Done when: The skin is blistered and golden in patches, the eyes are white, and the flesh flakes from the bone.
-
5
Make the Salad
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Toss the 100 g of lettuce, 200 g of tomato wedges, 80 g of onion rings and the grilled pepper strips with the juice of 1 lemon, the remaining olive oil, the 10 g of parsley and the 1 g of black pepper.
Dress the salad at the last minute so the lettuce stays crisp.
Done when: The salad is glossy with oil and lemon, with bright, unwilted leaves.
-
6
Serve on Bread or with Potatoes
2 Mins
Serve hot, about 65°C (150°F)
Lay the grilled sardines on a platter with the boiled potatoes, or on thick slices of corn bread to catch the juices, with the salad on the side and lemon wedges for squeezing at the table.
Serve at once, while the skin is still crisp.
Done when: The sardines are hot and crisp-skinned, the potatoes are steaming, and the lemon is squeezed at the table, not before.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the sardinhas assadas hot off the grill with boiled potatoes, grilled peppers and salad — and eat them with your fingers, the way the Santos festivals do.
Portugal
50m
