Sardines
We've been eating grilled sardines with some frequency at Chez Hoover, and they are just fabulous.
We get them at Gene's or Whole Foods. Whole Foods will clean them for you and sometimes Gene's too, but I always find it necessary to go over them before I cook them. I'd almost prefer to clean them from scratch.
According to wikipedia, the term sardine is imprecise, but whatever we are getting is pretty consistent -- it's an oily fish of some same species that's about 6-7 inches long.
I throw them on the grill (charcoal when I have the time) with salt and pepper and give them a deep charring. I also toast next to them some pieces of French baguette cut on the bias and rubbed with a bit of olive oil.
Tonight I also threw on the grill baby artichokes (halved), radicchio (halved) and some green onions.
Some sliced cucumbers tossed in spiced rice wine vinegar and a bottle of 2009 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc (very mineral-ly) rounded out the meal.
The bitterness of the radicchio was amazing next to the strong flavor of the fish. And the wine was almost ideal.
It doesn't feel like summer yet here in the SF Bay area, but we're eating that way in our humble abode.
We get them at Gene's or Whole Foods. Whole Foods will clean them for you and sometimes Gene's too, but I always find it necessary to go over them before I cook them. I'd almost prefer to clean them from scratch.
According to wikipedia, the term sardine is imprecise, but whatever we are getting is pretty consistent -- it's an oily fish of some same species that's about 6-7 inches long.
I throw them on the grill (charcoal when I have the time) with salt and pepper and give them a deep charring. I also toast next to them some pieces of French baguette cut on the bias and rubbed with a bit of olive oil.
Tonight I also threw on the grill baby artichokes (halved), radicchio (halved) and some green onions.
Some sliced cucumbers tossed in spiced rice wine vinegar and a bottle of 2009 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc (very mineral-ly) rounded out the meal.
The bitterness of the radicchio was amazing next to the strong flavor of the fish. And the wine was almost ideal.
It doesn't feel like summer yet here in the SF Bay area, but we're eating that way in our humble abode.