Hey guys, I have a short and sweet post for you today featuring one of my favorite little fishies of all time: sardines. Up until a few years ago, I had dismissed any kind of fish often found in cans as little more than cat food. Anchovies, sardines, pickled herring, even tuna. Perhaps it was a lingering sense of embarrassment from school lunches where anything smellier than a ham and cheese sandwich elicited a chorus of "eww" and "gross" from other children, and where bringing in something like tuna fish ensured you would be the cafeteria outcast. As trivial as those past experiences seem now, they were clearly wounds that cut deep.
These days, I say screw what other people think. When I finally tried all of the aforementioned fish, it was love at first taste, I'm never going back. So here is a simple and delicious recipe for sardines that highlight their natural, briny flavor. They are lightly cured in a bright mixture of salt, sugar, and lemon zest then quickly pan fried to enhance their tender texture. Because the curing preserves them slightly, they'll keep in the fridge for up to a week if you don't finish them immediately.
Let's consider this recipe my love ballad for fish of all types, we'll forget about childhood pettiness and start anew. Hope you all enjoy these sardines as much as I do!