No-fuss fish: Seven-spice sardines & cauliflower with garlic yogurt










Little stalls grill fish on the Golden Horn’s banks in Istanbul. You can enjoy the fish in small bread rolls with some lettuce and thin slices of onion, along with a squeeze of lemon juice. My version.

SERVES 2

½ red onion, thinly sliced

juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve

One cauliflower, approximately 600g. Cut into smaller florets and save any leaves. Chop the stalk.

2 tbsp olive oil

Four butterflied Sardinines of approximately 200g each

1 tsp Baharat (seven-spice mix)

½ tsp dried mint

handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

GARLIC YOGURT

Plain yogurt 125g

One small clove of crushed garlic

One unwaxed lemon – zest

  • Pre-heat the oven to 190C/fan170C/gas 5. Put the onion into a small bowl and mix the lemon juice.
  • In a large baking dish, combine the oil with 1 tablespoon water and the cauliflower florets. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
  • Make the garlic yogurt while the cauliflower roasts. Combine the yogurt, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Season and place aside.
  • Turn off the oven, and heat the grill on high. Place the sardines and the Baharat in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place the sardines, skin side down on top of the cauliflower. For 3 minutes, grill the flesh until it is translucent and blistered. For squeezing, sprinkle the parsley and marinated onions over the top.

Also works well with Whole sardines: cut a few slashes into each side before grilling. Whole mackerel (you’ll only need 2): cut slashes into the skin before grilling; these will need about 5–6 minutes per side. Grilling Mackerel fillets should take approximately 5 minutes.

 

 

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