Sardinhas Assadas
Fresh Portuguese grilled sardines with a drizzle of lemon and olive oil. Charred, tender, and ready in under 20 minutes.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 32g
Ingredients
- 8 sardines fresh whole sardines, cleaned and gutted
- 1 whole lemon
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1
Pat the sardines dry inside and out with paper towels to remove excess moisture, which helps them char better on the grill.
- 2
Cut the lemon in half lengthwise from tip to root, then cut each half into 2 wedges so you have 4 pieces total.
- 3
Place the sardines on a large plate and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them, turning them gently to coat both sides evenly.
- 4
Sprinkle 0.5 teaspoon sea salt and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper evenly across all the sardines on both sides.
- 5
Place a grill grate or grill pan over medium-high heat and wait until it is very hot — you should not be able to hold your hand 3 inches above it for more than 2 seconds, about 3 minutes.
- 6
Lay the sardines perpendicular to the grill grates (crosswise) so they do not slip through the grates, leaving a small space between each fish.
- 7
Grill the sardines without moving them for 3 to 4 minutes until the exposed side is charred golden-brown and has dark grill marks.
- 8
Flip each sardine carefully with a fish spatula or long metal spatula, gripping near the head to avoid breaking the flesh.
- 9
Grill the second side for 3 to 4 minutes until it is also charred golden-brown and the flesh inside the body is opaque white when peeked at through an opening.
- 10
Slide all sardines onto a serving plate lined up side by side.
- 11
Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil evenly across all the sardines.
- 12
Scatter the chopped parsley over the top in a light, even layer.
- 13
Place the 4 lemon wedges around the plate so each person can squeeze juice over their sardines to taste.
Tools you’ll need
- paper towels
- cutting board
- sharp chef's knife
- large serving plate
- grill or grill pan
- fish spatula or long metal spatula
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
