Sardines Greek Salad

Sardines are also known as pilchards. They're really good, inexpensive, sustainable and full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines sometimes get overlooked because of all their little bones, but when you cook them whole, you can strip out all the bones in one piece.  

Look for sardines that are clean-smelling and whole. Try to avoid bruised fish, and definitely avoid any fish with "belly burn," a condition where the belly is broken and the guts are starting to come out. This is a sign of an old fish, suitable only for salting down. Another thing, sardines do not freeze well. The oils in them turn rancid even in a freezer, and the flesh becomes a mushy mess when thawed. My advice: Never freeze fresh sardines.

For this Greek Salad, use sardines with skin and bones (which are edible) as they have more than four times the amount of calcium as skinless, boneless sardines.  

Ingredients :

Salad :

3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1 large cucumber, cut into large chunks
125ml can chickpeas, rinsed
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons sliced olives
 

Sardines :

125 gr fresh sardines with bones (remove intestines and the heads, or buy a ready to cook fresh sardines in package at the supermarket)

sea salt
freshly ground pepper

oregano 

5-6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup of water

Method

Sardines

Preheat oven to 180°C

Lay sardines in a baking pan and top with all remaining ingredients, using salt, pepper, and oregano to taste, sprinkling evenly.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Salad :

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Add tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, feta, onion and olives; gently toss to combine. 

Serve the salad on a plate and top with sardines.