GRILLED SARDINES WITH FETA, ORANGE, CUCUMBER & OREGANO SALAD

This salad came from a family holiday in Kefalonia. We stayed in a lovely holiday home and I cooked ingredients from the local market. When I got back to Cornwall,

I set about making a dish with ingredients I had to hand but inspired by that time. Oh, and I had a bottle of ouzo!

Serves 4

12 SARDINES, GUTTED, DESCALED AND BUTTERFLIED

OLIVE OIL, FOR BRUSHING SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER LEMON WEDGES BREAD, FOR MOPPING FOR THE DRESSING 2 TSP DIJON MUSTARD 2 TBSP OUZO

A PINCH OF CASTER SUGAR 6 TBSP OLIVE OIL

ZEST OF 1 ORANGE (SEE BELOW)

1 RED ONION, SLICED

FOR THE SALAD

2 MEDIUM CUCUMBERS 2 TBSP CHOPPED OREGANO LEAVES

2 ORANGES, ZEST OF 1 RESERVED FOR THE

DRESSING, BOTH SEGMENTED 300G FETA CHEESE, BROKEN INTO CHUNKS

1 First make the dressing. Place all the ingredients except the red onion in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste, and whisk to combine. Add the onion and leave for 10 minutes.

2 For the salad, halve the cucumbers lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut into slices on an angle and tip them into a large bowl. Add the dressing, followed by the oregano and oranges, and toss everything together. Arrange the salad on a platter and crumble over the feta.

3 Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Season the sardines and brush with a little olive oil. Place skin-side up and cook under the grill for 4 minutes, then set aside to rest for 4 minutes; the residual heat will finish the cooking.

4 Once cooked, arrange the sardines on the platter with the salad. You can eat the sardines straightaway or let them cool and eat cold. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and chunks of bread alongside to mop up the juices.