This recipe was inspired by a recent trip to the Mediterranean where my husband and I found ourselves eating a lot of sardines AND liking it. We have attempted to continue incorporating sardines into recipes stateside not only to relive life on the Riviera, but because sardines are incredibly nutritious!
This dish is technically a variation of sardines escabèche, but before our trip, I had no idea what escabèche meant. Escabèche refers to preparing a tangy vinegar sauce that is then used to marinade meat or fish. Escabèche is generally served after it has cooled, but can be eaten warm (my preference).
Ingredients
- Two 4 oz cans of sardines
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 ml apple cider or white wine vinegar
- 175 ml dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped – I use the lower 3/4 of the plant, but you can use the entire onion!
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
How to Make Sardines with Marinated Vegetables
This recipe calls for canned sardines; if you’ve never bought sardines I have some tips to help you choose. I like to use sardines sourced from Portugal or Spain, because they are famous of their balanced flavor. I also prefer sardines that are packed in extra virgin olive oil and boneless (for convenience).
Begin by removing the sardines from the tins and drying them on paper towels.
Toss the sardines in the flour in a shallow dish.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Brown the floured sardines for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sardines from the heat and place on a dish.
In the same saucepan bring the wine and vinegar to a boil. Once boiling, add the celery, carrots, garlic, onions and thyme. Allow the vegetables to cook at a low boil for 10 minutes.
After the vegetables have reduced, season with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
Pour the hot vegetable mixture over the sardines. Allow the dish to cool at room temperature or in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with the diced tomatoes.
I like to serve this dish with rice, but you can eat it on its own! It also tastes even better the next day because all of the flavors get a chance to develop in the fridge.
Sardines With Marinated Vegetables
This variation on sardine escabeche is full of delicious flavors
6
servings10
minutes15
minutes300
kcal25
minutesIngredients
Two cans Two sardines
2 tbsp 2 all purpose flour
2 tbsp 2 olive oil
50 ml 50 apple cider or white wine vinegar
175 ml 175 dry white wine
2 cloves 2 garlic, minced
1 1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 2 green onions, chopped – I use the lower 3/4 of the plant, but you can use the entire onion!
2-3 sprigs 2-3 thyme
1/2 tsp 1/2 salt
1/2 tsp 1/2 pepper
1/2 tsp 1/2 smoked paprika
Directions
- Removing the sardines from the tins and drying them on paper towels.
- Toss the sardines in the flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Brown the floured sardines for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sardines from the heat and place on a dish.
- In the same saucepan bring the wine and vinegar to a boil. Once boiling, add the celery, carrots, garlic, onions and thyme. Allow the vegetables to cook at a low boil for 10 minutes.
- After the vegetables have reduced, season with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
- Pour the hot vegetable mixture over the sardines. Allow the dish to cool at room temperature or in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, top with the diced tomatoes.