Sardines – the wonder food. Have you had enough Omega 3 today? If not, do yourself a favor and get some fresh, plump sardines. They are very cheap, need very little preparation and cook in a few minutes. Sardines are very popular in Greece and this is a typical meal – sardines, French fries (oven fried if you wish) and boiled wild greens. These are greens that grow wild everywhere, and I think that only here they are appreciated. Even when people go out to dine, they will order fish or meat and a plate of boiled greens is a must, apart from the salads.
They are dandelions, a variety of chicory, sow thistles and many more. Actually these humble greens are very good for you, packed with vitamins and minerals and are part of the famous Mediterranean diet. They only need a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice and they are fit for a king. I would recommend that you use fresh lemon juice and not the bottled substitutes that do nothing for you.
As it would be very difficult if not impossible to find such greens, you can accompany the sardines with a large green salad.
Ingredients 1 kilo fresh sardines salt 1 – 2 lemons A little olive oil Oregano
Directions
Sardines are very easy to clean. Hold the head firmly, or cut the top, where it meets with the body with a knife. Then pull it you’re your fingers carefully and the intestines will come out as well. Open the belly with a sharp knife and wash well. Scrape the fish with the knife, better still the blunt end of the knife so that you don’t injure the skin, to remove the scales that are very thin and come off very easily. Wash the fish and put them in a colander to drain.
Place them in a bowl, and sprinkle them with salt. Put them in the fridge until cooking time. Now sprinkle some olive oil, fresh lemon juice and olive oil on them.
You can broil them or barbeque them about 4 minutes per side, for large sardines. If they are smaller you will need about 2 – 3 minutes per side.
You can drizzle a little more olive oil and lemon juice over the sardines. Serve immediately, with a large green salad, oven fried potatoes and feta cheese.