Catch of the day
Set aside your prejudices to savour the joy of fresh sardines.
THERE ARE FEW more enjoyable experiences than sitting by the sea burning your fingers on fresh-fromthe-fryer fish ‘n’ chips. Flathead, flake, blue grenadier and barramundi normally suit this treatment, so I was intrigued recently to see sardines feature as the fish ‘n’ chip lunch special at Continental Deli in Sydney. It was, of course, another wacky play on a theme that we’ve come to expect from the crew who brought us the Mar-tinny and Can-Hatten canned cocktails. Fish ‘n’ chips landed as a panini filled with large fillets of canned sardines and a wodge of potato crisps.
Once upon a time, Australians dismissed sardines as a greasy, mushy fish packed in cans with some kind of sauce, and although these days they’re cracking straight from the can, fresh Australian sardines are something special to savour, says John Susman of seafood consultancy Fishtales.
“Growing up, I only ate sardines on camping trips, and then only reluctantly,” he says. “Later in life, they became a great bait, and now they are one of my favourites centre of plate – I guess the toast-to-hook-to-plate cycle says it all!”
Fast growing and prolific breeders, sardines are inexpensive, versatile and a superhero of sustainability. You’ll find these shiny little silver-striped torpedoes from Northern NSW all the way along the southern coast to almost halfway up the west coast, and Australians are catching on to their high healthy fat content, clean sesame nuttiness and delicate texture.
Their fragile nature and fine bone structure make handling a primary concern; Susman explains they’re best bought whole and filleted at home for the ideal culinary experience.
“Look for really fresh whole sardines,” he says. “Run a sharp paring knife around the head and pull, removing the guts. Spilt them down the belly, insert forefinger and thumb under the backbone at the now missing head of the butterflied fillet and run straight back to the tail, removing all the fine bones in one easy move.
“Then simply dust in flour, pan fry in olive oil, apply a squeeze of lemon, some cracked black pepper, serve on toast and pour a generous glug of vermentino for the chef – absolutely delicious!”