A quick yet satisfying meal using prepared vegetables, tinned sardines and a crusty slice of bread. The richness and sweetness from the oil and vegetables pairs beautifully with the intense salty savouriness of the fish, while the sharp tang of pickles or a dressed salad brings an acidic note to cut through the dish.
Recipe
Serves 4. Active time: 10 mins, Cook time: 20 mins.
Ingredients
Prepared Vegetables
1 courgette, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into thumb sized chunks
1 red onion, sliced into wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
Handful of fresh or dried herbs such as basil or parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Main Dish
4 thick slices of crusty bread such as sourdough
1 clove of garlic, halved
6 sardine (or similar) fillets from a tin, preferably in EVOO or brine
Prepared vegetables (see above)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pickled vegetables and/or dressed side salad (to serve)
Method
Prepared Vegetables
Optional step: add the courgette slices to a wire rack or colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave for 15-20 mins then rinse and pat dry. This helps draw out some of the moisture and bitterness from them.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Add all the prepared vegetables to a large bowl, add a few glugs of oil, the herbs, a sprinkle a little salt and pepper then toss well to ensure everything is coated.
Lay out all the veg in a large sheet pan (or a few smaller trays) ensuring there’s enough space that nothing overlaps. Place the pan in the oven and roast for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are browned nicely.
Use immediately or store in the fridge for use at a future point.
Main Dish
The prepared vegetables can be enjoyed at room temperature, but are also delicious heated. If using from chilled, warm in the oven to revive the best texture, though a quick blast in the microwave will do the job in a pinch.
Toast the slices of crusty bread then rub the surface of the toast with the garlic clove to impart a little flavour, then drizzle with olive oil. If using sardines packed with olive oil use some of the oil from them for an added flavour boost.
Add the sardines to the bread, around a fillet and a half per slice, though if you want a little more then go for it, tinned sardines are packed full of omega 3 and calcium as well as plenty of other good nutrients. Crush them into the bread with a fork.
Pile the prepared vegetables liberally on top of the sardines. If there’s a little of the juices and oil mix on the pan, spoon that over too.
Serve with a side salad or some pickles vegetable for a delicious lunch or light dinner.
A bit of a blether
After making this once I was glad I’d made enough vegetables to have it again the next day for lunch. Indeed had we not run out of sardines I may well have had it a third time too.
This would work well with other tinned fish like mackerel. Anchovies on their own may be a little strong but something like tapenade would fit the bill as well.
Indeed, for a more substantial meal you could pan fry a large fillet of mackerel in olive oil and use that as the fish component.
Equally with the vegetables, use whatever you have available that is good and will soften nicely and caramelise a little. Aubergine would work well here, as would asparagus when in season. Find what works for you and dig in!
I’ll cover some handy tips for salad dressings as well as dive into the wonderful world of fermented vegetables in a future post.
Thanks for reading,
Matthew
A Sincere Love of Food 