Baked Sardines with Fennel (Sardine Al Finocchio)
Servings Prep. Time Cooking Time Calories % from Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 125ml/4 fl oz dry white wine
4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 675g/1-1/2 lb very fresh sardines (about 16)
115g/4 oz dried breadcrumbs 3 teaspoons fennel seeds, pounded until cracked



1 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until transparent. Stir in the wine, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste and bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until reduced to a thick sauce.
2 Meanwhile, clean the sardines. Rub off the scales with your fingers and rinse the fish under running cold water. Cut off the heads and slit the bodies to the tails. Clean the insides with your fingers. Snip or pinch the backbones from the tails on the inside and pull them away. Rinse thoroughly, then rinse again in bowl of salted water. Close each sardine. Season each one with pepper and roll in breadcrumbs to coat.
3 Preheat the oven to 180C/350 F/gas mark 3. Puree the sauce in a food mill or sieve into a glass baking dish and arrange the sardines in neat rows on the sauce. Sprinkle with fennel seeds and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden, adding a little water during cooking if necessary. Serve directly from the dish.

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