april fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardinesapril fool’s day salt-cured sardines

"Are you a genuine APRIL DAY FOOL if you make your own sardines at home ... or just TOTALLY-BANANAS-CRAZY !?"

Well, I’m not so sure. I made a small batch, starting with 1 kg of fresh sardines, cleaning them, salt-curing them for several days, then storing them in olive oil. The first time I tried this, I realized that it’s a lot of work to clean out relatively small sardines, so next time I might try medium-sized ones and a larger batch !

Another detail is that I initially only wanted to cure them in salt and then pack them in oil. But in the end, the result is tougher than expected, like dried chewy fish and quite salty. Which is why I did it again, by rinsing the salted sardines off in white vinegar and lemon juice and then added the spices and olive oil and gently heated up the jars in simmering water, giving a much more tender, tastier and satisfying result …

Yeah it is CRAZY, but then again, also so COOL to eat your own home-made sardines. The next step would be to fish them yourself … :)

april fool’s day salt-cured sardines

01.04.2016

2 jars (500 ml each)

ingredients

  • 1 kg fresh small whole sardines (12 cm long)
  • 1 kg coarse sea salt
  • 300 ml white vinegar
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 300 ml olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 dried chili peppers
  • 1 lemon (peel only)
  • 20 peppercorns (a mix of white, green black, pink peppercorns)
  • optional : 2 cloves garlic

instructions

  • rinse sardines, remove heads and clean out sardines (remove entrails by making a long slit on the underside and scoop/pull out) and rinse again under cold water

note : I left the tails on to easily handle them and also remove them from the jars when ready, feel free to cut off the tails if you prefer

  • pat dry and then sprinkle the inside of the sardines with coarse salt
  • in an airtight container, spread out 1 cm of coarse salt and lay out a layer of sardines, side by side, completely cover with a thin layer of coarse salt and add another layer of sardines, cover with salt again until done
  • place a thin piece of wood or thick cardboard on top of the salt, weigh down with a weight and cover with the lid and place in a cool space for several days
  • once a day, pour out the brownish liquid that accumulates on the bottom of the container, this process (depending on the quantity) could last between 5-7 days
  • when no more liquid accumulates at the bottom of the container, remove the sardines from the container, brush off the excess salt and rinse the sardines in white vinegar and the juice of 1 lemon and let drain and dry for 15 minutes

note : after cleaning out the sardines and removing the entrails, the sardines will weigh 750-800 grams; after the salt-curing and water loss, the sardines will weigh only 500 grams !

  • insert the sardines, tails towards the top in 2 glass jars (I used two 500 ml jars)
  • add 1 bay leaf, 1 dried chili pepper, 2 slices of lemon peel, 10 peppercorns and 1 clove of peeled garlic (optional) in each jar and pour olive oil on top until the sardines are covered but leave a 1 cm space from the top of the jars and close tightly
  • place a grate on the bottom of a large pot filled with water, place the sardine-filled jars inside and upside down and heat the water to high to reach a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer
  • simmer the jars of sardines for 30 minutes, then remove closed jars and let cool before storing in the refrigerator, up to approximately 2-3 months (but actually still good after 6 months).

recette suivante

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