Serves 4
You’ll Need
Pickled Sardines
4 fresh sardines, filleted and deboned
400ml rice vinegar (or unsweetened vinegar of choice)
250ml olive oil
100g coarse salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
10 pink peppercorns
8 black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Pickled Watermelon Rind
12 pieces watermelon rind
500ml water
500ml white vinegar
250g sugar
10 peppercorns
2 cloves
1 star anise
To serve
4 slices fresh dark rye sourdough, crust removed
12 pieces of pickled watermelon rind
1 onion, thickly sliced rings
20ml vegetable oil
1 tomato, halved
30ml olive oil
50g butter
3 garlic cloves, halved
4 sprigs dill, fronds removed
2 sprigs parsley, leaves picked
Method
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Prepare watermelon by trimming the red flesh and green skin off leaving only strips of the white part.
In a pot, add all other ingredients over high heat. Bring to a brief simmer, stir and let cool slightly. Add watermelon rind to sterilised jars and and pour hot pickling liquid over the top to cover. Seal the lid.
Pickling is a great way to preserve any leftover raw ingredients or produce with limited seasonality. Pickles are best left for a couple of months to enhance the flavour, however, you can eat them the next day if you can’t wait!
Pickled Sardines
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over low heat, add bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Bring up to 90° C or before garlic begins to fry. Remove the heat and allow to come to room temperature cool and reserve.
Fillet sardines and remove bones. Heavily salt sardines and let cure for 20 minutes skin side up to draw out moisture. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Pickle in rice vinegar for 30 minutes. Remove sardine fillets from vinegar and submerge in flavoured oil until serving.
Serving
Heat vegetable oil in fry pan over medium to high heat. Char onion rings in pan until slices are dark brown on both sides then reduce heat to medium. Add butter and baste onion until completely cooked through. Remove from pan.
Brush dark rye sourdough with olive oil and grill in pan over high heat to char edges. Rub raw garlic onto surface, then squeeze and rub a sliced tomato over the top of the slices.
Immediately place sardines on bread. Top with pickled watermelon rind, char grilled onions and fresh herbs.