Kitchen · Venice · Italy
Sarde in saor
Long before fridges, Venetian sailors kept fried sardines in sweet-and-sour onions so they'd last the voyage. Today it's a cicchetto at the bar counter, eaten with a small glass of wine and no hurry at all.
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh sardines, cleaned, heads removed and opened flat
- 50 g plain flour
- Oil for frying (about 300 ml)
- 500 g white onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 150 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 30 g raisins, soaked in warm water
- 30 g pine nuts
- Salt
Steps
- Dust the sardines in flour and fry them in hot oil for 1–2 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Drain and salt lightly.
- Cook the onions in the olive oil over low heat for 15–20 minutes until soft and translucent, not browned.
- Add the vinegar and sugar, if using, and simmer for 3–4 minutes.
- Stir in the drained raisins and the pine nuts.
- Layer the sardines and the onion mixture in a dish, finishing with onions.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Serve at room temperature, ideally with grilled polenta.
Variations
The raisins and pine nuts make the "winter" version; plenty of Venetian cooks leave them out. Some add a little sugar, and some use sole or prawns instead of sardines.
Local tip: It tastes better on day two than day one, so make it ahead and don't skip the wait.
Keep it covered in the fridge and eat within a few days.
Allergens: fish (sardines); gluten (flour); pine nuts; sulphites (vinegar may contain them).
Educational information about food and cooking, not medical or nutritional advice. Check the allergens on each recipe and on product labels, and adapt the recipes to your needs.
← All recipes