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Sardines stuffed with chermoula
Sardine mcharmel: pairs of butterflied sardines sandwiched with chermoula and fried crisp
MoroccanWalk past the fish stalls by Essaouira's harbour and you smell this before you see it: sardines opened flat, smeared with a green-red paste of herbs, garlic, cumin and paprika, pressed together in pairs, dusted with flour and fried until the edges crunch. The fish stays moist and rich inside, sharpened by lemon and a little chilli. In Safi and Agadir homes they appear at lunch with a tomato and onion salad and bread, or tucked into sandwiches from street carts. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to butterfly the sardines and remove the backbone; it saves a fiddly 20 minutes and they lie flat.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 16 fresh sardinesabout 1 kg, scaled, heads off, butterflied and boned
- 2 ⅞ oz plain flourfor dusting
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor shallow frying
For the chermoula
- 1 oz fresh corianderfinely chopped
- ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
To serve
- 4 lemon wedges (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rinse 16 fresh sardines, pat them very dry with kitchen paper and keep them in the fridge while you make the paste.
Step 2: Mix 1 oz fresh coriander, ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp hot paprika, 1 lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt into a thick paste.
Step 3: Lay half the sardines skin side down and spread each with a teaspoon of chermoula. Top with the remaining sardines, skin side up, and press firmly so they stick together. Chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Heat 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat to about 350°F, when a pinch of flour sizzles at once.
4 minStep 5: Dredge each sardine sandwich in 2 ⅞ oz plain flour and shake off the excess. A common mistake is flouring them too early: the flour turns gluey, so do it just before they go in the pan.
Step 6: Fry in batches for 2–3 minutes a side, until golden and crisp and the flesh is opaque and flakes at the thickest point. Don't crowd the pan or they steam.
10 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 4 lemon wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sardines stuffed with chermoula take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
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