Sarde in Saor
Experience the delightful blend of sweet and savory with this traditional Venetian sardine dish, Sarde in Saor.
Ingredients
- 800 g sardines, cleaned
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp wheat flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 dl olive oil for frying
- 1 dl white wine vinegar
- 60 g raisins
- 40 g pine nuts
- 1 bay leaf
- polenta for serving
How to make it
- Pat the sardines dry, then season them with 1 tsp salt and the black pepper. Lightly coat them in the wheat flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the sardines in batches for about 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Lift them out and let them rest on a plate while you cook the onions.
- Add the sliced onions to the same pan with the remaining salt and cook them slowly for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until soft and glossy.
- Stir in the raisins, pine nuts, bay leaf and white wine vinegar, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the vinegar sharpens and the onions look lightly glazed.
- Arrange a layer of sardines in a dish, cover with a layer of the onion mixture, and continue layering until everything is used, ending with onions on top.
- Let the sarde in saor rest for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge, so the flavors settle and the sardines soften slightly.
- Warm the polenta and spoon it onto plates, then serve the sardines and onions on top in a neat mound with some of the vinegar-scented onion mixture around them.
