Daily Excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef!

Today's excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef is the recipe for Sardine Gratinate, which is a dish of sardines with bread crumbs. This truly Italian dish differs from how sardines are generally prepared in America, bringing a new variation on this fish when it is set on your table for dinner.

Sardine Gratinate

Sardines with bread crumbs

Americans aren’t used to eating fresh sardines and anchovies which is a shame. These fresh items taste completely different from the kind preserved in oil that sit on grocery store shelves collecting dust. In seaside towns, like Viareggio and Pisa, sardines are a staple on restaurant menus: they’re delicate, subtle and best of all, plentiful and cheap. Montarey has some of the best sardines in the United States, which is why I included them on my Carmel menu. In most parts of the country they are admittedly hard to find. Ask your local fishmonger to order you some.

Serves 4

2 lbs (16 whole) fresh sardines, cleaned and fileted.

⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley

4 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 ½ tablespoons bread crumbs

1 cup washed mixed salad greens

½ cup chopped tomato

Have your fishmonger clean and fillet the sardines, unless you want to try it yourself. If so, using a sharp knife , slit the sardine open along the belly and using a spoon remove the innards. There will be about a teaspoon. Cut off the heads and then pry the fish open, catch the end of the tailbone under the tip of the knife, and pull up. (This is easiest done under running water.) I also cut out the fin which is in the back. Wash the fillets and if you have time, marinate them for 24 hours in the lemon juice. ( If you are in a hurry, an hour or two will do.)

Gently remove the sardines from the lemon juice and pat them dry. They are now “cooked” and will break easily. In a dish large enough to hold all the sardines, combine the olive oil, parsley and oregano, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper and onion. Add the sardines, making sure they are all complete.y submerged in the oil. (they will keep in this preparation for 2 to 3 days.) Let them marinate for at least an hour.

You can eat the sardines like this, on a slice of toasted Tuscan bread with a little of the onion and herbs to garnish; they are delicious. Or you can remove them from the oil and lay them out in a broiler pan. Sprinkle them with bread crumbs, and broil them until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve them on a bed of salad greens, garnished with the chopped tomato.