I know I have said this already, but sardines are my favourite fish. Unfortunately it is not easy to come across fresh sardines in Sydney. I find it weird as they are so common in Italy, but that’s just the way it is. So whenever I see some, I buy them! Today I will share with you one of my favourite ways to cook sardines. These patties taste delicious and I always love the addition of raisins and pine nuts to fish, which is typically Sicilian. I find that the sweetness of the raisins goes very well with the flavour of the sardines and pine nuts are always great for a little crunch! If your kids are not very fond of fish, try making these, as they don’t really “look” like fish… sardines are very healthy and these patties taste amazing! Don’t forget to check out all my other Regional Italian recipes! Enjoy!
Polpette di Sarde alla Siciliana - Sicilian Sardine Patties
A typical Sicilian seafood dish: Polpette di Sarde alla Siciliana - Sicilian Sardine Patties!
Ingredients
- 750 gms – 1.65 lbs. sardines to clean
- 1 egg
- 5 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
- 5 tbsp breadcrumbs or a little more
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp mint chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tbsp raisins or sultanas
- 1 small clove of garlic thinly chopped
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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Clean and fillet the sardines.
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Put all the ingredients into a bowl, add the cleaned sardines and mix well with your hands, just as if you were making meatballs. You may need to add a little extra breadcrumbs. The mixture has to feel like a meatball mixture.
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Make patties the size of a lime, coat them in flour and shallow fry them on both sides until they become golden brown.
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Serve warm.
A lovely idea for lunch! And I do love how Sardinians use raisins and pinenuts with fish. We should do it more often!
Now this does sounds really tasty! I love fresh sardines but they’re devilishly hard to find here in the States. Do you think another fish might work?
Hi Frank! I know… fresh sardines are such a rare catch here too! I have never tried, but I think they will work with any fish (fish you would use to make patties), though you may have to blend it if it’s not as soft as sardines. Probably the only fish I would not use is salmon (and trout). 🙂
I’ve been looking for something to do with my frozen Fremantle Sardines for some time, thank you
!!