Pickled sardines, the summer recipe of Joan Roca, from El Celler de Can Roca

GironaChef Joan Roca explains how to prepare a sardine escabeche to make and eat the same day. Although the technique is known because it helps to preserve food well from one day to the next, the chef from El Celler de Can Roca suggests seeking the freshest point of the fish. And for this reason, he suggests that it is a preparation that if made and eaten, much better.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 kg of fresh sardines
• 1/2 head of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 sprig of oregano
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 50 g of wine vinegar (to your taste, it can be a mild vinegar)
• 300 g of virgin olive oil
• Salt

Preparation

Clean the sardines: remove the scales and guts. Salt them, flour them and fry them in very hot oil. Set them aside.Separately, in a cast iron or clay pot, add 75 g of oil and sauté the peeled garlic. Next, add the onion and the peppers cut into thin strips.When they get colored, add a spoonful of paprika and the aromatic herbs (bay leaf, oregano, thyme). Remove from heat, and incorporate the rest of the oil and vinegar.Add the sardines, and let them cook for a couple of minutes over very low heat. Let it cool. It's best to eat it the same day.Tips

In this recipe, we recommend whole sardines. If you want them filleted, instead of salting them, place them in a brine of very cold water with 10% salt for five minutes. In this case, cook them directly in the pickle, without frying them first, for just a couple of minutes over very low heat.Classic escabeches cook the food sufficiently to contribute to its preservation, and this allows them to be consumed a few days after preparation, when the meat has more flavor because it has been infused with the flavor of the escabeche. On the other hand, this recipe opts for a fresher flavor of the fish, which is achieved with a shorter cooking time, and that is why it must be consumed on the same day.The best sardines are from May to October. If they are small, they can be eaten whole.Sardines

They are in full season. In fact, fishermen's saying is that sardines should be eaten in months that do not contain R in their name, so they are very good until September. Furthermore, they are good for the heart and the brain, as they are an essential source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Onion

A nutritional gem. It contains minerals (calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, among others), desirable amino acids like quercetin, which is known to help combat hair loss and improve intestinal inflammation. It also contains provitamin A (related to good eye health), C, E, and folic acid.

Thyme

Thyme is linked to many preparations in the Catalan recipe book. The best-known benefits for the digestive system are that it aids digestion. Therefore, it is good for regulating intestinal function, and it helps the respiratory system as an expectorant.