Sardines with Onions - Sarde in Saor

For a boat load of hungry friends!!

One portion of this, and you're on your way to being a true Venetian!

For the beginner, this dish is a bit time consuming, a little back breaking, and you will have quite a mess when all is said and done, HOWEVER, the delicious, unique taste makes it all truly worth while. 

"Sarde in Saor" needs a few days rest, to allow the flavours to really infuse and combine, so one generally makes it 2 days in advance. 

It is also common in Venice, to add pine nuts and raisins to this dish, for a kind of sweet and sour effect. This variation is optional. 

And, once you have mastered the technique for cooking the onions, you can adapt this recipe, substituting sardines for any other fillets of fish, fried chicken breasts, grilled eggplants, cannellini beans, etc etc. 

The preparation of the sardines require some stamina, so get yourself a comfortable pair of shoes, pull your hair up, and put on some soothing music. Don't forget the tall cool drink, with a straw!!!! 

You will need:

1 kilo of fresh sardines

lots of plain flour

2 kilos of onions- thinly sliced

salt

3 or 4 bay leaves-fresh or dried

125 mls of white vinegar-more or less

peanut oil or olive oil

The first few steps require a little practice. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the head, and pull away the innards of each sardine. Then, scale each sardine under running water. I also like to gently glide, a not-so-sharp knife, from the tail end  to the headless end of the sardine, so that all of the scales are removed.

Now, we have to remove the spine and bones of the fish, in order to butterfly the sardines.
Where the head once was, place your thumb on one side of the backbone. Run your thumb, along the backbone, towards the tail. The sardine should now be open, revealing, a clean fillet on one side and a fillet with the backbone attached on the other side.
Break off the backbone, near the tail, and then pull it away from the flesh, towards where the head once was. I also like to remove the fin, so, turn the sardine around and pull the fin away.

Finally, remove the remaining tail bone and tail, hence, we have a lovely mountain of boneless butterflied sardines.

Heat some peanut oil in a pan, or you can use olive oil. 
In a large bowl, place a few tablespoons of flour, and a little salt. Place the fillets into the flour, coat on both sides, shake off excess flour and place into the hot oil. Place skin side first, that way you can see the fillets being cooked. Don't brown the sardines too much. Once cooked, place the sardines into a bowl and set aside.

Now for the onions. 
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a very large pan, and add some of the leftover oil from the fried sardines. 

Add the sliced onions, a little salt, and over a low heat, stir often until they soften a little. Add the bay leaves and the white wine vinegar, and then place a lid on the pan. 

You will have to continually check on the onions, making sure that they do not burn, it may even be necessary add a little water from time to time, and allow the onions to become really, really soft. This will take about 30-40 minutes. Once they are ready, allow to cool slightly. 

the onions... before and after

To assemble this dish, you will need a glass or ceramic dish, NO METAL please, as it will react with the vinegar. I like to place a thin strata of onions on the base of the serving dish, then I arrange a layer of the cooked sardines, and then a nice thick layer of onions. Another layer of sardines, and some more onions, continue until all the sardines are completely covered. Refrigerate for at least 2 days and then serve at room temperature. 

Please let me know what you think of this recipe... It will be sheer delight!