As a rule, I try to buy local seafood whenever possible.
The only real exceptions I make are for some tinned fish (it’s impossible to buy local anchovies), and these Portuguese sardines. They’re ludicrously cheap – this one kilo bag contained nine large sardines and cost just $6.90 at Faros Brothers in Marrickville.
The fish were in pretty good shape despite the freezing and transporting – apart from the tails and fins, which were brittle and mostly shattered. They still had quite a lot of scales on them, which gave them a beautiful iridescent glow – I tried to photograph it to show you, but my camera couldn’t quite capture the gleam…
I filleted the sardines and dipped them in a traditional flour-egg-breadcrumbs mixture before shallow frying. They were a big hit with Big Boy and Small Man, both of whom love oily fish.
Best of all, there was enough protein to feed the four of us for under seven dollars!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
In Denmark we do exactly the same except with mackerel. It’s delicious. :D
Misk, I have to try to find some mackerel! I’ve been reading about them, but I don’t see them very often around here (maybe I’m not looking though).
Wait till I tell Pete how you did your sardines – I will HAVE to make them like that for him too! Anything with a crispy crumb and he is a happy boy, throw in something healthy underneath and it’s a double winner.
:-) Mandy
Mandy, I reckon he could even cook them on the barbeque.. ;-)
I love sardines! I am looking forward to getting into my Brisbane kitchen for some cooking. I don’t cook much when I am alone in Italy. No doubt my Jim will be looking forward to some good grub.
Deb, I’m sure it will be lovely to be home for Christmas! Hope you’re having a good journey back..
Wow, I love sardines and these look amazing!
Thanks Greg! The scales were so beautiful, it was almost a shame to have to have remove them!
They seem cheap the world over, I just love them :)
Cindy, that’s good to know! I’m still astonished at how cheap they were…
Hi yummy! I love crumbed fish and chips; and must one day blog about summer holidays in my childhood and a family friend who had a boat and took my dad fishing. They used to come back with a large plastic garbage bin FULL of all manner of fresh fish. The chap’s wife would fillet and crumb them. So deliciously fresh. I am going to check my local fishmonger for these sardines, they look very good and, as you say, are so inexpensive! Thank you for sharing.
Lizzy, I hope you find them! And that’s a fabulous story – to me, a garbage bin full of just caught fish is as wonderful as hauling a pirate chest into the boat.. :)
Lovely. What is it about fish simply cooked that makes it the best?
Claire, fish is so easy that it’s often our default dinner when we’re looking for something to cook. And we really should eat it even more frequently than we do!
I also am a big fan of sardines but I prefer them like this or fresh!
This batter looks tasty too! Lucky boys!
Sophie, thank you, my sons really enjoyed these! :)
Hi Just to let you know that I posted my December IMK.
Thanks for letting me know! When I do the December list next week, I’ll add your post to it! :)
Thanks for the tip. I’ve been looking for sardines for ages but the only ones I see at Flemington markets are really tiny and look more like fish bait. There is a recipe in the Ottolenghi cookbook that I want to try out.
You’re welcome, Lien! I made this Ottolenghi recipe a while back with sardines – it was absolutely delicious! :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/10/02/sardines-stuffed-with-bulgar-currants-and-almonds/
I think you did a good job with your camera, Celia, those fish look lovely!
Thanks Amanda! They were really beautiful!
That is a serious bargain meal. I’m a white fish only girl but they do look pretty good.
Claire, it’s only a matter of time, with the food adventures you’ve been having.. ;-)
Love Faros brothers! I really need to get over my fear if filleting fish… These little sardines might be just the ticket. Thanks for the inspiration!
Christie! Thanks for stopping by! I have to admit, I’m a bit rubbish at filleting fish myself – thankfully the breadcrumbs covered up the fillets.. ;-)
I’ll admit it.. never tried these! I think they would go over really well here in our kitchen! I do think you caught the iridescence… I’ve tried to photograph fish before.. it’s a tough one!
Smidge, thank you! I must have taken twenty photos – it was really hard to get that shine…
Slurp! I love sardines! Soon, smelts will be available here – local and cheap – and I will be frying them up by the skillet-full. I can hardly wait. Oh do I love those shiny little fish!
Smelts! They’re new to me, I’ll have to google them. Thanks! :)
You’ve done a fantastic job with those sardines.
Thanks Charlie! The boys have been asking when we can have them again. I told them at $6.90/kg, we can have them whenever they want.. ;-)
What a great buy indeed! When I worked at a fish market, I just thought the sardine fillets were the prettiest colours and patterns- almost too pretty to cook and spoil. But the recipe would so be worth it! :-)
Becca, I’ve occasionally seen some that shine with almost peacock like colours!
Those look totally delicious. I’m not sure I could get any takers, here!
My mother used to make sardines for us as children, but I don’t have any strong HAPPY memories… I think I was all about fresh water fish that my dad caught at that time.
You are an amazingly good food photographer, Celia! My pictures are all a tiny bit fuzzy!
Heidi, thank you, but it’s not me – the camera has a really good autofocus function! :)
Those are big sardines! I like tinned ones on toast sometimes with a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper. We give them to the dogs sometimes as they are very good for their coats etc. I buy fresh Cornish ones sometimes, but usually end up being the only one eating them on account of the bones.
I usually grill them, never thought to deep fry them but I’m sure they are scrumptious! :)
Jo, fresh Cornish sardines must be wonderful! I like tinned ones too (I wonder if they’re good for my hair?).. :)
Dear Celia
I’m always a little nervous about cooking fresh sardines as opposed to the ones in tomato sauce from a can as I find them fishy. Do these ones come gutted or do you have to do it yourself?
Chopinand, these were frozen whole, so I had to gut them as well. They weren’t particularly fishy, but I am a bit rubbish at the whole gutting/filleting thing, so they ended up looking a bit axe-murdered by the end of the process.. ;-)
Well that’s a new way to eat sardines for me! I live in Portugal and the best time to buy & eat sardines is in mid-summer when they’re fatter and juicier, or so they say. We grill our sardines, it’s part of our culture and all throughout summer there are numerous street festivals in Lisbon and Porto that celebrate Saint days with grilled sardines as one of the main dishes! It always reminds me of summer…..
Just saw your Sardines, I love Farros Brothers, will avoid it till after Christmas though
Nothing like Portuguese sardines. I remember eating so many of them while visiting Portugal…delicious!