Cook the onions gently until soft and pale gold, then add the wine, vinegar, raisins and pine nuts. This recipe uses the same weight of cleaned sardines and onions. Layer them in a shallow dish and refrigerate for the resting period.
Make ahead Assemble a day ahead and refrigerate promptly in a shallow, covered dish. Keep chilled until serving.
Sarde in Saor
Prep 40 min · Cook 40 min · Rest 24 hr · Serves 6 · Difficulty Medium
Method
Cook the onions in 60 ml of oil with a pinch of salt over the lowest heat, lid ajar, until completely soft and pale gold, never browned, about 25 minutes.
25 min
Add the wine, then the vinegar; simmer 5 minutes so the sharpness rounds. Stir in raisins and pine nuts and take off the heat.
6 min
Pat the sardines dry, season, and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
10 min
Fry the sardines in hot oil in batches until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes a side. Drain on paper and salt lightly while hot.
12 min
In a ceramic or glass dish, layer: onions, sardines, onions, sardines, finishing with a thick blanket of onions and all the juices.
6 min
Refrigerate promptly in a shallow, covered dish and rest for at least 24 hours. Keep chilled until serving, then portion onto plates.
10 min
Serve with grilled polenta or good bread, a toothpick, and something cold and bubbly.
Kitchen notes
Onions outweigh fish. This recipe uses 800 g of cleaned sardines and 800 g of onions. Slice the onions thinly so they soften evenly and settle between the layers of fish.
Respect the rest. Day-one saor tastes like fried fish with sharp onions. Day-two saor tastes like Venice. Plan accordingly.
For a simpler variation, omit the raisins and pine nuts and keep the onion-and-vinegar dressing.
