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José Pizarro's fried sardines with warm lentil salad and salsa verde
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 200g puy lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2tbsp white wine vinegar
- 125ml white wine
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1tsp coriander seeds
- good pinch caster sugar
- 8 sardines, butterflied
- 1 large fennel bulb, shredded
For the salsa verde
- 30g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 10g fennel fronds, finely chopped
- 1tbsp capers
- ½ green chilli, finely chopped
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 90ml extra virgin olive oil
Method
Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan over a low heat, add the shallot and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaf and stock and season. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 15 minutes or until the lentils are just tender. Drain well and tip on to a serving platter.
Put the onion in a small bowl. In a small pan over a mediumhigh heat, mix the vinegar, wine, peppercorns, coriander seeds and sugar. Cook until reduced by half, add to the bowl with the onion and toss together.
In another small bowl, mix the salsa ingredients and season.
Heat the remaining 1tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, add the sardines, skin side down, and fry for 2 minutes until crisp. Flip over and fry for another minute until just cooked.
Add the shredded fennel to the lentils and toss, then top with the sardines and onion and drizzle salsa verde over to serve.
This recipe featured in the June 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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