Shallow Fried Masala Sardines

Sardines are a great source of Omega 3 oils and they're cheap too. At the local fresh market (Marche St Germain in the 6th arrondisement of Paris) there are 2 fishmongers and I picked up a dozen decent sized sardines for just over 5 Euros. A real bargain and they taste fantastic too. Generally speaking you don't really need to add much to sardines. You could just as easily chuck a load on the grill with some olive oil and salt and then mop it all up with a loaf of crusty bread.

Nonetheless, this recipe is equally delicious, although I found it difficult to not break the skin while cooking. Also you have to handle them quite delicately which de-scaling and gutting as well. If you buy them already prepared, it's pretty straight-forward and quick to make as most of the preparation time is in making the spice paste.

Spice paste. Blend these ingredients in a food mixer for a few minutes until it is a fine paste:
- 1 onion
- 2 green chillies
- an inch of ginger
- a dozen curry leaves
- a dozen black peppercorns
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- juice of half a lemon
- salt to season

Slice the sardines a few times on each side and rub the spice paste all over the fish, making sure to rub it inside the cavities and between the slits.  Leave to marinade for about half an hour.

Pan fry a small onion sliced on high heat in a pan with hot oil until they brown and even crisp. set these aside and fry the sardines in the same pan.

Be careful not to move them too much or the skin will break (as I found out). Turn them once after about 5 minutes and do the other side for the same amount of time. 

This is a great dish to serve up as a starter with some bread and chutney or as a side dish to a main course. Stay tuned for the next dish, a lentil stew with spinach and tomato.