Barbecue baked sardines with thyme and ginger

They will always be Greek to me - Σαρδέλες.

Sardines (Sartheles in Greek - also known as pilchards) are the seafood bargain of the century. They are a schooling fish, sustainably managed, and taste great. You can generally buy them for less than $10 a kilo. They are quick to clean and gut. And did I mention? They taste great!

Ingredients

• 8 sardines (or 3–4 per person)

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 lemon grated zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sprig thyme plus 2 for garnish
• 4 dried chilli

Method

• Clean the sardines and place in a bowl or tray
• Place one sprig of thyme in the cavity of each sardine
• Mix the rest of the ingredients (except the last sprigs of thyme and the dried chilli) in a bowl
• Pour mixture over sardines
• Add chilli and extra thyme
• Cover and place in refrigerator for 2 hours

Now, to cook, you can use your oven if you like, preheated to 200˚, but I use my barbecue.

Preheat your barbecue with all burners on and the hood down. While the barbecue is warming, take a roasting pan and coat it with olive oil. Place your sardines on the tray, and pour over the marinade juices.

We are using the convection method here, so turn off once side of the barbecue burners, and place your tray on the side that is turned off. Place the hood down, and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve with fresh tomatoes, homemade hummus, and Lebanese bread. I get my Leb bread from Baalbek on Canterbury Road because they make a wholemeal variety which is not heavy and stodgy as this can sometimes be.

A note on the grating of ginger

Nothing beats a bamboo ginger grater. You lay it down flat, and scrub the peeled ginger back and forth over it. No barked knuckles, and no waste, as you just give the grater a couple of taps and the chopping board, and all the ginger comes out nicely from between the grooves.