Stuffed Sardines Sicilian Style (Sicily)

Fish

Ingredients

Fresh sardines - 2 1/2 pounds

Salt

Olive oil

Soft breadcrumbs - 6-6 1/2 tbsps

Seedless white raisins - 1/2 cup

Pine nuts - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salted anchovies, boned - 6

Pepper

Parsley, finely chopped - 2-3 sprigs

Onion, finely chopped - 1 small

Bay leaves - 2-3 

Juice of 1-2 lemons or oranges

Cut off the heads of the sardines, clean the fish well, slit them open down the belly to pull out the backbones but do not divide them completely. Wash them in salted water and wipe dry.

Heat 1 1/4 cups oil in a small pan, add 5 tbsps breadcrumbs, stir well and saute until brown. Take them from the pan and put them into a bowl. Add the white raisins, pine nuts and sugar. Wash the anchovies until quite clear of salt and pound or chop them into small pieces. Add these to the bowl with plenty of freshly ground pepper, the parsley and onion. Knead until the mixture is well blended and stuff a little into each sardine. Close the sardines firmly.

Rub a baking pan with olive oil and arrange the sardines in one layer on the bottom. Tear the bay leaves into strips and sprinkle them over the sardines. Cover with the remaining breadcrumbs, for 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are brown and the sardines baked through. Serve immediately, sprinkled generously with lemon or orange juice.

Serves 6