Recipe: sardines en escabeche

Name: sardines en escabeche
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg (2.2 lb) of medium sardines, very fresh; (scaled, gutted, washed, dried and floured); 20 cl (0.8 cup) of olive oil; 40 cl (1.7 cups) of red wine vinegar; 20 cl (0.8 cup) of water; 6 cloves of garlic,; (peeled, degerminated, roughly chopped); 1 large bunch of fresh parsley; (washed, dried, leaves finely sliced); 1 cayenne pepper; 6 pinches of thyme leaves; 1 bay leaf; 10 black peppercorns; 4 cloves; 6 pinches of ground pepper; 6 pinches of fine salt; flour

By AFTouch-Cuisine 4.2/5 (11 reviews) · 🍳 22 made it

Prep 20 min

Cook 10 min

Total 30 min

Servings 8 serv.

Whichever spelling and variations it may have, this sauce is a traditional method for preserving blue fish or chicken for a long time

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

1 kg (2.2 lb) of medium sardines, very fresh
(scaled, gutted, washed, dried and floured)
20 cl (0.8 cup) of olive oil
40 cl (1.7 cups) of red wine vinegar
20 cl (0.8 cup) of water
6 cloves of garlic,
(peeled, degerminated, roughly chopped)
1 large bunch of fresh parsley
(washed, dried, leaves finely sliced)
1 cayenne pepper
6 pinches of thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
4 cloves
6 pinches of ground pepper
6 pinches of fine salt
flour

Step-by-step directions

1 Heat the oil in a fish pan over medium heat.

2 Fry the sardines in two batches, 4/6 minutes on each side depending on size.

3 Remove them one by one, draining them above the pan. Arrange them flat side by side in an earthenware or glass dish. Salt, pepper, and sprinkle thyme over each layer. You can stack up to 3 layers, reversing the direction of the fish.

4 Let the oil cool slightly and strain it.

5 Return the oil to medium heat and when it sizzles, sauté in order the garlic, pepper, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, then parsley. Cook for 5 minutes.

6 Add the vinegar and water. Increase the heat and let boil for 1 minute.

7 Pour the contents of the pan, while still hot, over the fish. The liquid should slightly cover the top layer. Distribute the aromatics well.

8 Cover hermetically. Let cool.

Chef Patrick's Comment

Excellent recipe whose preparation is very well directed. Personally I add finely sliced onions and carrots and a little coriander seeds. This dish originating from Spain (cabeza) is called escabecio or scavece in Italy, Escavèche in Flanders and scabetche in North African countries.