Sardines are one of our most underrated fish, even though UK stocks are healthy and the fishery in Cornwall is certified sustainable. They are caught by seine netting at dusk just a few miles from shore, and the way they are fished means they’re in perfect condition when landed. My favourite way of eating them is left whole, guts in and heads on, topped with a healthy sprinkling of coarse salt and then grilled – they’re wonderful eaten just with your hands or on bread, but today I offer up two alternatives ways with sardines.
Venetian-style pickled sardines (pictured top)
You will see these delicious cicchetti, or snack, in bars all over Venice, where they sit piled high on the counter, ready to be served with a glass of wine or on top of a slice of bread. They make a great starter or light supper, and it’s a very good way to preserve the fresh fish for a few days, because the flavour gets only better with time. I’ve added a few crushed pink peppercorns to the traditional recipe, because I think they add a nice touch.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Serves 2 as a starter
Good olive oil
8 fresh sardines, cleaned and gutted (heads and tails on or off – it’s up to you)
Plain flour, for dusting
100ml white-wine vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 white onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp sultanas
1 tsp pink peppercorns, finely crushed or blitzed
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat 100ml olive oil in a large, wide frying pan. Working in batches, if need be, dip the sardines in the flour, shake off any excess, then fry gently for two to three minutes on each side, until cooked through. Lift out the fish, drain on kitchen paper, then arrange them side by side in a shallow rectangular dish in which they’ll all fit snugly.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, four tablespoons of olive oil and 100ml cold water in a small pan, and bring to a simmer. Drop in the finely sliced onion, cook for about five minutes, until the onion is soft and giving, then stir in the sultanas and crushed pink peppercorns. Spoon the pickle mix evenly all over the sardines, finish with a sprinkling of parsley, then cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour and up to three or four days.
Serve at room temperature with bread and/or a nice glass of vino.
Sardine butter on sourdough with pickled mustard seeds and cucumber
I love tinned sardines almost as much as I love fresh ones – they are so versatile and so delicious. When I was a kid, we used to have Shippam’s sardine paste sandwiches with cucumber, and this is my take on that delightful childhood food memory.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Chill 1 hr+
120g tin sardines in olive oil, drained
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 pinch dried chilli flakes, to taste
Sea salt
125g softened butter
1 pinch dried oregano
Sliced sourdough, to serve
Juice of ¼ lemon
For the pickle
50g white-wine vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
¼ cucumber, peeled, cored and finely diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Put the sardines, tomato puree, chilli and a pinch of salt in a blender, blitz until really smooth, then add the butter and oregano, and blitz again until well combined. Decant the sardine butter into a clean pot or jar, cover, then chill for at least an hour. The butter will now keep for up to a week.
To make the pickle, put the vinegar, sugar and 100ml cold water in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then add the mustard seeds and leave to cook gently for 10 minutes, until they soften and plump up a bit. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, mix the diced cucumber with a big pinch of salt, then set aside for five minutes to draw out some of the excess moisture. Rinse off the salt, dry the cucumber well and stir into the cooled pickle mix along with the chopped dill.
Grill the sourdough until it’s nicely charred on both sides, then, while it’s still hot, spread thickly with the sardine butter so it melts through the bread. Serve at once with a squeeze of lemon juice to taste and with the pickle on the side or strewn on top; a handful of rocket leaves would go nicely here, too.
Mitch Tonks is chef/owner of the Rockfish restaurants in south-west England
The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. Check ratings in your region: UK; Australia; US.
* This article was edited on 19 August 2025, to clarify the serving suggestion, and that the chopped dill should be added to the pickle mix at the same time as the cucumber.
