This typical Venetian cicchetti–simply fried sardines topped with lightly fried, vinegar-marinated onions–is always a crowd-pleaser, perfect for aperitivo or keeping on hand for a quick merenda.
Once you filet the sardines, it’s quite simple to make and also easy to prepare in batches. The sardines only improve with flavor when left in the fridge. If you do make multiple batches, be sure to wipe out the pan so the excess flour on the bottom doesn’t burn. Many Venetians also add in a handful of pine nuts and raisins to the onions, but sometimes simple is better. I prefer using smallish sardines; it’s up to you whether to leave the tail on or take it off.
SARDE IN SAOR
Scale up ingredients as desired.
INGREDIENTS
- About 125 ml (4 fl oz / 0.5 cup) olive oil
- 400 g (14 oz) white onions, halved & thinly sliced
- A few whole peppercorns, gently squashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 125 ml (4 fl oz / 0.5 cup) white wine vinegar
- 15-18 whole sardines, about 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
- Flour, for dusting
- Light olive oil, for frying
- Salt
- Pepper
PREPARATION
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan with a lid. Add the onions and cook over medium heat.
- After a few minutes, add the peppercorns, bay leaves, and some salt and pepper. Put the lid on, lower the heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. The onions must not brown, but be well softened and nicely cooked, so check from time to time that not all the liquid has been absorbed. If the onions are browning too much, add a few drops of water and continue simmering.
- Once they are soft and cooked down, add the vinegar and simmer without the lid for another 5-10 minutes until the vinegar reduces a little, leaving the onions covered in a lovely sauce–but don’t let them dry out.
- Meanwhile, filet the sardines. Cut off the heads, then make a slit down the undersides of each, and remove the guts. Open out the sardines like a book so that they are still hinged together. Place, skin side up, on a chopping board. Press each sardine lightly, yet firmly, to open out. Turn each over and pull out the backbone (alternatively, you can leave the bone in and just clean them while you are eating them). Rinse and pat dry.
- Place each sardine in a shallow bowl of flour and pat well on both sides.
- Pour enough oil into a large non-stick frying pan to cover the bottom abundantly. When the oil is hot, add the sardines, turning them only when they are crisp on the bottom. If the flour is falling off and sticking to the bottom, you may need to reduce the heat a touch.
- When both sides are golden and quite crisp, remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle each sardine with fine salt.
- Layer the sardines and onions in a compact bowl. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Add a little more olive oil if it looks like it needs it. FInish with a sprinkle of salt.
- Cover. If you will be eating them in the next few hours, leave at room temperature, otherwise put them in the fridge where they will keep for a few days, intensifying in flavor. Each time you open the container or eat some sardines, rotate the remaining filets so they all get equal coverage.
