Sarde a Beccafico
Sarde a Beccafico
Sardine Rolls
Sarde a beccafico roughly translates to “sardines dressed like songbirds.” The name is a reference to the shape of the sardines when they are rolled, with their pointy tails like feathers protruding from a plump bird body. I love this dish for its medieval feel: it hearkens back to a time when sweetness was a major component of protein dishes. Here the sweetness comes in the form of currants or raisins and orange juice. Sarde a beccafico are often cooked with lemon leaves between them. If you’ve got a lemon tree, go ahead and pluck some leaves. Otherwise, very thin orange or lemon wedges on their own are great.
These make a great appetizer before pesce grigliato (see page 117).
Ingredients (11)
Ingredients (11)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a medium casserole with olive oil.
Combine the bread crumbs, caciocavallo, parsley, pine nuts, currants, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, orange juice, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
Season the sardines with salt on both sides and place them skin-side down on your work surface. Rub the flesh with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and divide the bread crumb mixture evenly over the fish.
Roll the fish around the filling from head to tail, forming medium-tight rolls.
Place the rolls in the prepared casserole, with citrus leaves (if using) and an orange wedge between each, arranging them snugly in the dish.
Bake until the sardines are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
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