Sardoncini alla Griglia — Print Recipe

Tiny fresh sardines grilled over charcoal with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt — a taste of the nearby Adriatic coast.

Ingredients

600g fresh sardines, cleaned and gutted
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt
Black pepper
Crusty bread for serving

Instructions

1 Rinse sardines and pat very dry. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2 Heat a charcoal grill or grill pan to high heat. Oil the grate well.
3 Grill sardines for 2-3 minutes per side until the skin is charred and crispy and the flesh flakes easily.
4 Transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice generously over the hot fish.
5 Drizzle with remaining olive oil and scatter with chopped parsley.
6 Serve immediately with lemon wedges and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Did You Know?

Despite being landlocked, San Marino is only 10km from the Adriatic coast, and fresh seafood from Rimini has always been part of the Sammarinese table.