Grilled Sardines with Charred Lemon and Chile Sauce
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
- 3 medium lemons
- 3 medium-hot dried chiles, such as arbol, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- Kosher salt
- 16 whole cleaned fresh sardines (about 1 1/2 pounds; see Tip)
- Prepare a medium-hot grill fire.
- When hot, wipe down the grill with a paper towel dipped in oil.
- Cut 2 of the lemons into 1/4-inch slices and halve the other.
- Grill the lemon slices and halves until they have nice grill marks, 2 to 3 minutes per side for the slices and 3 minutes total for the halves.
- Then carefully grill the chiles until lightly charred, about 1 minute (if you have a mesh grill insert, use it to keep the chiles from falling through the grate).
- Mince one-quarter of the lemon slices and transfer to a small bowl.
- Chop the chiles into small pieces (for less heat, remove and discard the seeds first).
- Add the chiles to the bowl, along with the 1/2 cup olive oil, parsley, garlic, shallot, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Whisk to blend and set aside.
- Season the sardines with 1 teaspoon salt and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Grill, turning once, until the fish are just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
- Arrange the remaining three-quarters of the lemon slices on a platter and top with the grilled sardines.
- Drizzle the sauce over and around the sardines, reserving any extra to serve on the side.
- Squeeze the grilled lemon halves over the platter.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Sardines are often sold whole (not cleaned), but its easy to prep them yourself.
- Starting just below the mouth, use a paring knife to make a shallow slit along the length of the belly, stopping where the visceral cavity ends (about an inch from the tail).
- Use your fingers to pull out and disconnect the organs, and then rinse under a gentle stream of cold water.
extravirgin olive oil, lemons, chiles, parsley, garlic, shallot, kosher salt, fresh sardines
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/grilled-sardines-with-charred-lemon-and-chile-sauce-388338 (may not work)