Baked sardines with tomato, an easy, light and summery recipe
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Total: 1 h 50 min Diners: 4
Sardines are one of my favorite seasonal fish. When the heat arrives, these little silvery fish start to fatten up and fill with fat becoming powerful allies for healthy omega-3 type fats. It is true that it is a fish with a very intense flavor that some may not like, but it is also true that, if they are of quality, they are juicy and delicious.
Great dishes have been made in gastronomy from sardines, as in nigiris in Ikigai or in the tasting menu of Casa Marcial that never fails. Although in reality the best thing about them is that they need very little to be enjoyed, some good embers like those of Asador El Tronky in Pedreña (Cantabria) and happiness is assured. It is important to clean them well if desired, I sometimes like to remove a little of their scales and remove the innards slightly before cooking although they can be grilled perfectly whole without cleaning, whether you want to make them with tomato or any other recipe.
If we want to make sardines in cold preparations it is always advisable to freeze them previously because they have anisakis, so if the option is to make marinated sardines or sardines in mild garlic sauce you will have to keep them frozen (previously cleaned) for at least a week. Then, it is key to defrost them little by little. For these baked sardines with tomato we will not need to do it because they are cooked more than enough and, of course, we can then pack them and keep them as the classic cans of sardines with tomato that could then serve us to make a cold lasagna of sardines or some eggs stuffed with sardines in tomato.
It is key that the fried tomato is of the highest quality and, to do so, the only secret is to have tomatoes with a lot of flavor, well ripe, make a good sauce and then let it cook over very low heat for a long time. On this occasion, the cooking is stopped a little before the fried tomato that we are used to in order to preserve that more “natural” and fresh point that goes great with sardines. To the fried tomato you can add all kinds of herbs and spices to taste and I always recommend making extra and bottled, to use in different recipes such as to have ready for the ratatouille omelette, the Mallorcan tumbet, the shakshuka, a fish cake or baked eggplant with cheese and mushrooms.
How to make baked sardines with tomato
Ingredients
.
For the tomato sauce
Ripe red tomato, 1 kg Onion, 2 pc Garlic clove, 1 pc Salt, a pinch Extra virgin olive oil, 80 ml Sugar, 1 tsp
For the sardines
Large fresh sardines, 20 pc Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp Salt, c/s Thyme, to taste
Step 1
Make a cross at the base of the tomatoes, lightly, simply to cut the skin. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, remove from the water when you see the skin start to lift. Cool quickly and peel all the tomatoes.
Step 2
Smash the tomatoes and crush them completely making a tomato soup, without adding anything else.
Step 3
Make a sofrito by frying the onion with the garlic, all finely chopped, with the olive oil and salt. We want everything to be very tender but not to take color, not caramelize at any time. Then add the crushed tomato and let it cook over very low heat as long as we want, I recommend always cover because the tomato sauce jumps a lot and can pringar all the kitchen very quickly.
Step 4
For the sardines you only have to cook this tomato for 60 minutes, although we could do it much longer. Then we will have to season with salt, black pepper and a little sugar and add the spices and herbs that everyone wants.
Step 5
Clean the sardines well by removing the insides, place a layer of fried tomato on a baking tray on aluminum foil, top with the sardines, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and a little hot chili powder if desired. Bake in a preheated oven at 220ºC for 8 minutes.
Step 6
Serve with plenty of fried tomato either hot or warm.
