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FRIED SARDINES

Wash and clean the fish. Dip them in flour, in beaten egg, and then in corn meal or crumbs. Fry in deep hot fat according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 11). Remove to absorbent paper and season to taste. Serve with tartar sauce or tomato sauce. Fried parsley (page 253) as an accompaniment is a “must.”

BAKED SARDINES

Bone the fish or not, as you choose. Arrange the sardines in a buttered baking dish or pan and top with finely cut shallots or green onions (about 4 to a fish). Season to taste, dot with butter, and barely cover with white wine. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).

Serve with plain boiled potatoes and grilled tomatoes.

SARDINES IN ESCABECHE

This recipe is suitable for any small fish. It makes an outstanding first course or luncheon dish.

36 fresh sardines

2/3 cup olive oil

Flour

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small carrots, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

3/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup wine vinegar

2/3 cup water

Pimiento

Green pepper

Clean the sardines but leave their heads and tails intact. Heat the oil in a skillet. Dust the fish with flour and salt and pepper them to taste. Sauté them in the oil just long enough to brown. Remove to a hot dish.

Add the carrots and onions to the oil and let them cook until almost tender. Add the garlic, bay leaf, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Pour the vinegar and water over this and bring it to a boil. Add the sardines and simmer for about 5 minutes. Let the fish cool in the sauce and chill thoroughly before serving. Decorate with strips of pimiento and green pepper.

Serve with a cucumber salad for contrast.

Canned Sardines

Few simple meals are tastier than a can of fine sardines, lemon, good bread and sweet butter, and a glass of chilled white wine or beer. But here are some suggestions for “dolling up” the tinned variety.

GRILLED SARDINES

Carefully remove the fish from the can. (There is a permanent key for sardine cans that has a good lifter as part of the gadget.) Arrange the sardines in a shallow pan or rack and pour the oil over them. Run them under the broiler flame just long enough to heat through. Serve on pieces of fried toast with lemon wedges.

This makes a good fish course as well as a good luncheon or supper dish.

VARIATIONS

1. Sprinkle the sardines with a little curry powder and chopped parsley and give them a squeeze of lemon juice. Grill them and serve them on toast with chutney.

2. Arrange sardines on a baking sheet, sprinkle with lemon juice and grated Gruyére or Swiss cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Serve on fried toast.

3. Grill sardines with curry powder and serve on a bed of scrambled eggs.

4. Arrange grilled sardines on fried toast. Cover with a sauce Mornay (page 22) and run under the broiler flame for a minute or two.

SARDINE PUFFS

1 can skinned and boned sardines

2 tablespoons onion juice

2/3 cup grated Gruyére or Cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Bread

Mash the sardines with a fork. Add the onion juice, cheese, and pepper and blend thoroughly. Fold in the egg whites. Toast slices of bread on one side. Spread the sardine mixture on the untoasted side and place under the broiler or in a 450° oven. Cook until they puff and brown lightly, or about 4 minutes. Serve as a first course or as a cocktail snack.

SARDINE TURNOVERS

Sardines

Pastry or puff paste

Lemon juice

Grated onion

Chopped parsley

Beaten egg yolk

Roll pastry or puff paste out thin and cut into circles large enough to accommodate a whole sardine with some room to spare. Place a sardine to one side of each circle. Sprinkle with lemon juice, a bit of onion, and the parsley. Fold the pastry over and crimp the edges. Brush the top with beaten egg yolk. Bake at 450° until the pastry is puffed and brown — about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with cocktails or as a first course for luncheon