Sardines with chermoula

This fresh, flavour-packed chermoula is a perfect match for sardines with with spicy harissa (which is now available from most larger supermarkets). Chermoula is a marinade used a lot in Moroccan cooking.

📝 Ingredients

• 12 sardines scaled and gutted
• 2-3 tbsp harissa to serve
• small bunch mint
• large bunch coriander
• 1 small red onion peeled and quartered
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 red chilli cut into short lengths
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt
• 7 tbsp olive oil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1First, make the chermoula. Take the leaves from the mint stalks but leave the coriander whole. Put both in a food processor along with the onion, garlic, cumin seeds, chilli and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and add the olive oil.
2. 2Blitz until the mixture is well blended and almost creamy in texture. You may need to remove the lid and push the mixture down a couple of times with a spatula until you get the right consistency.
3. 3Cut the head off each sardine and trim off the fins. Place each sardine on its opened-out belly and press gently along its back to loosen the spine. Turn over and gently lift out the spine and rib bones all the way to the tail, using a small knife if it’s particularly stubborn. Put the flat opened sardine fillets in a shallow dish and cover with the chermoula. Turn to coat a couple of times, then cover and chill for an hour or so.
4. 4Lift the sardines one at a time from the marinade, smoothing off any excess by sliding your fingers down the length of each fish. Cook over a hot barbecue for about 3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, use a large hot non-stick frying pan lightly greased with a little oil. Cook in batches, starting skin-side down, for about 1-2 minutes on each side until nicely browned and charred in places. Dot with harissa and serve with a little moroccan-style salad (made from iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion and olives and dressed with a little more cumin, chilli oil and lemon).