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Sardines with Chili, Garlic and Lemon

Seasoned simply with chili and lemon and popped on the barbecue, these succulent sardines are the ideal summer supper.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 254
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lemon zested and juiced, plus extra 2 lemons, halved
  • 1 red chili deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 sardines gutted (see notes)
  • Tabasco to taste
  • mixed salad to serve

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Barbecue

Method
 

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon zest and 2 tsp lemon juice with the chili, garlic and oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Cut small slits on one side of each sardine. Rub the lemon and oil mixture all over the sardines, rubbing well into the slits and body cavity.
  3. Cook the sardines on a preheated barbecue (or over a medium-high heat in a griddle pafor 3 minutes each side, until cooked through and the flesh flakes away easily from the bone. Put the lemon halves, cut-side-down, next to the fish for the final 3 minutes of the cooking time.
  4. Serve the sardines with a few drops of Tabasco, the grilled lemon halves and the mixed salad.

Notes

If buying the sardines from the fish counter in store, you can ask the fishmonger to gut the fish for you. Alternatively, insert a sharp knife into the base of each fish approximately 2cm (1in) from the tail, run the knife along the base finishing at the head. Open-out a little, then starting at the head end – run your thumb along the inside (wear disposable rubber glove, if you like) to remove the guts and discard. Rinse the cavity under cold running water to clean thoroughly. (If there are any scales on the fish remove by running a blunt knife over the skin, then rinse under running water.)