Grilled Sardines

Meat and Fish
Written By

Summer is a time when many Slovenians head to the coast, both Slovenian and Croatian. It’s also the perfect season to enjoy fresh fish.

One of my favorites since childhood has been grilled sardines, if you can find them fresh. They’re usually served with Triestine sauce and fresh bread. They also pair well with other classic Adriatic sides, such as Swiss chard with potatoes or potato-cucumber salad.

 

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Fish:

  • 1.2 kg fresh sardines

  • salt

  • olive oil

  • large sprig of rosemary

Triestine Sauce:

  • 20g parsley

  • 8 cloves of garlic

  • 80 ml olive oil

Instructions:

Sardines:

  1. Clean the sardines by cutting off the head and then pulling out the innards. Rinse them under cold water and pat them dry.

  2. Sprinkle the sardines generously with coarse sea salt and let them stand while you prepare the grill.

  3. Light a charcoal or wood grill and heat it to medium-high, until the embers are hot and glowing. Lightly oil the grill grate to prevent the fish from sticking.

  4. Place the sardines directly on the grill grate.

  5. Dip the fresh rosemary sprig into some olive oil and splash a small quantity over the sardines as they cook.

  6. Grill the sardines for a couple of minutes on the first side, until the skin begins to crisp and char lightly. Generally, they only need a couple of minutes on each side, but this depends on the size of your sardines and the intensity of your heat.

  7. Flip the sardines carefully and apply more olive oil with the rosemary sprig.

  8. Remove them from the grill and serve with Triestine sauce and fresh bread.

Triestine Sauce

  1. To prepare the Triestine sauce, finely chop the parsley, mince the garlic, and mix them with olive oil. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes. The taste of the garlic in the sauce is strong, so the sauce is best served in a small bowl separate from the fish so that each person can take as much as they wish.

Next

Potato-Cucumber Salad