It’s no surprise that the Aegean Islands have the most fish recipes in the Greek cuisine. Sardela me Saltsa Lemoniou is a dish of the Cyclade Islands and is often served as part of a Mezze.
If possible ask your fishmonger to clean the sardines and remove the backbone. A job that is tedious and requires some surgical precision.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs (900 g) sardines, cleaned, heads, tail, and backbone removed
- 1 untreated lemon, juiced and skin cut into thin slivers
- 1 cup (250 g) Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp fresh green chile, seeded and cut into thin rings
- 1 medium-size tomato, seeded and cut into coarse chunks
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Brush a baking dish generously with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange the sardines side by side and season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl combine lemon juice, Greek yogurt or sour cream, oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the mix over the sardines. Scatter chile rings, tomato dices and the lemon skin slivers over the Greek yogurt sauce.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve at room temperature as a stand-alone appetizer or as part of a Mezze. It can also serve as a light main dish accompanied by a green salad and freshly baked pita bread.
