Sardines in Grape Leaves
This recipe can be used for any fish that’s small enough to be served whole. The grape leaves are not meant to be eaten, but rather, serve to keep in moisture and impart a fragrant, savory flavor.
Ingredients
- 12 sardines, fresh or frozen, gutted and cleaned
- 1/2 cups olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice of
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 jarred grape leaves (available at Phoenicia Bakery)
- 1 lemon, cut into half slices
Instructions
- Wash and gently pat the cleaned sardines with paper towels to remove excess water.
- Mix together the olive oil and lemon juice. Using roughly half of this mixture, brush the sardines, then lightly season them with salt and pepper. Place the sardines in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the recipe.
- Gently remove the grape leaves from the jar and tease apart—taking care not to tear them. Trim the excess stems, rinse and place the leaves in a colander to drain.
- Heat the broiler or oven to 400°.
- Place a grape leaf on a work surface with the shiny side down and the vein-y side up, and brush the inside with the remaining olive oil and lemon mixture.
- Place a sardine on the leaf with the base of the tail aligned with the stem-side edge of the leaf. Roll each sardine in a leaf—wrapping it completely with the tail and part of the head sticking out—and place them, seam-side down, on a broiler-proof dish.
- If any of the olive oil mixture is left, drizzle over the wrapped sardines.
- Place the lemon slices between the sardine bundles.
- Place the dish under the broiler or in the oven and cook for 8 to 12 minutes until the sardines are fragrant and feel soft to the touch and the leaves have turned a lighter, yellowish color.
- Serve warm with a green salad.
