In Citrus, Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson offer chapters dedicated to different citrus fruits. The ideas in Citrus give you new ways to enjoy the particular power and zest that only citrus can offer.
Here’s a recipe with Spanish inspiration, a dish that doubles down on satisfaction. Who doesn’t like the surprise of a dish with stuffing? Or a dish with a coating that you get to edge through before reaching a protein heart. I think dishes like this appeal to the kid in each of us. And in this dish, with stuffing and coating, you are about to experience satisfaction that you may not have had for a long, long time.
If you are not Spanish, you may not have enjoyed sardines too often. Have you ever bought them? Ever cooked them? There’s always a first time and this first time will be memorable.
Grilled Sardines with Orange & Polenta
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- 12 fresh sardines
- 2 navel oranges
- ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fine grind polenta or cornmeal
Preparation:
Working with 1 sardine at a time, place it on a cutting board.
Using a sharp knife, cut the sardine open along the belly, working from head to tail, to create a cavity for the filling. Remove the entrails and rinse under cold water. Pat dry. Repeat with the remaining sardines.
Zest the oranges and set the zest aside. Then, peel the oranges, making sure no white pith remains. Coarsely chop the flesh of the oranges and transfer to a bowl. Add the parsley, the garlic, and the *A cup of olive oil and stir to combine.
Spread the polenta in a shallow bowl. Stuff each sardine with about 1 tablespoon of the orange mixture and gently press it closed. Roll the sardines in the polenta to coat loosely, then drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Heat a large stove-top grill pan over high heat until smoking (if you do not have a large pan, use 2 pans or cook in batches). Lay the sardines in the pan, turn down the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the sardines over and cook for 5 minutes longer, until the skins are crispy and brown.
Transfer the sardines to a platter and serve immediately, with the remaining orange mixture alongside.
Source: Citrus by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson [10 Speed Press, 2015]