Grilled Sardines, Gremolata, Onion Chutney and Pine Nut Salad

Ingredients:

Sardines, butterflied, 2 each for a starter, 3-5 for a main course
Small bunch flat leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (use juice in the dressing)
4 garlic cloves
1 large onion
1cm piece of root ginger, peeled
150g–200g of Demerara sugar or caster sugar, adjust to suit your taste
150g red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Handful of fresh breadcrumbs
2 shallots
4 large sticks of celery
2 large carrots
Small handful of pine nuts
Selection of herbs and leaves such as rocket or watercress
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
A simple olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice dressing for the salad

Method:

To butterfly the sardines, scale and gut them, snip off the fins and head and lay them backbone up on the table. Push the fish out flat and, using the heel of your hand, press down along the spine to break the backbone. Carefully lift the fish off the bones. It might not be as neat, and you’re bound to have a few bones left, but do the best you can. Gently rinse, dry on paper and chill.

For the chutney, finely dice the onion, two garlic cloves and the ginger, sweat in the vegetable oil until very soft, with a little colour. Add the sugar, caramelise briefly, then add the vinegar and reduce. The flavour should be a good balance of sweet and sour, and not be too thick. Set aside after seasoning.

For the gremolata, finely chop the remaining garlic, shallots and parsley, mix with the lemon zest and breadcrumbs and a tiny bit of olive oil, it should be loose and still fairly dry, so don’t mix too thoroughly.

For the pine nut salad, peel the carrots and celery, and slice as finely as you can (we would use a mandolin for this job–mind your fingers!). Add the pine nuts, herbs and leaves and leave to dress until the last minute.

Get your grill as hot as you can. Put the sardines on a tray, skin side up, sprinkle with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon and some vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil, it burns too easily). Grill for a few seconds to get the cooking process started, cover with the gremolata, return to the grill for about a minute, being careful not to burn the herb mix.

To serve, toss the salad in a little dressing and lay on a plate, top with sardines and chutney on the side. For a main course, serve with a wedge of lemon, crusty Cornish bread and good, salted butter, if having as a main course.