Sardines in Saor

🛒 Ingredients

• Fresh Sardines 150 g · 310 kcal
• White Onions 38 g · 15 kcal
• White Wine Vinegar 8 g · 2 kcal
• Pine Nuts 1 g · 7 kcal
• Golden Raisins 3 g · 7 kcal
• Olive Oil 4 g · 34 kcal
• All-Purpose Flour 5 g · 18 kcal
• Vegetable Oil 12 g · 106 kcal

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Clean the fresh sardines by gutting them and removing the heads; rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Lightly dredge the sardines in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess, then season them with salt and black pepper.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully fry the floured sardines in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Remove the fried sardines and place them on a wire rack to drain excess oil.
3. In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the thinly sliced white onions until they are very soft, translucent, and slightly caramelized, which takes about 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the onions are ready, add the pine nuts and golden raisins to the pan, cooking for another 2-3 minutes until the nuts are lightly toasted and the raisins are plump. Add a pinch of sugar if desired.
5. Deglaze the pan with white wine vinegar and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, allowing the liquid to slightly reduce and the flavors to meld. Season the saor mixture with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. In a deep serving dish, arrange an even layer of the fried sardines, then generously cover them with a layer of the warm saor mixture. Repeat layering until all sardines and saor are used, ensuring the top layer is saor.
7. Allow the dish to cool completely to room temperature, then cover it tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or ideally 48 hours, to allow the flavors to fully meld and develop. Serve chilled.