Seasonal Food (October): Lemons
Sardines are utterly scrumptious with their oily rich flavours. Preserved lemon then steps in with a mellow salty sour burst, and bone marrow with its tremendously rich and meaty primeval flavours altogether make a good all round lunch or a hefty starter.
Bone marrow is a thrifty treat for those willing to make the effort, ask your butcher while buying your weekly meat and your might even get them for free! Sourdough makes a great toast even when its a week old. It doesn’t stale like a normal bread but simply drys and becomes more developed in flavour.
Ingredients
6 sardine fillets per person 1kg Marrow bones would be generous for 4 toasts (optional) Sourdough ½ Preserved lemon, remove the pulp and slice the rind Parsley, roughly chopped
Method
Cooking time 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 180 C
- Place your pieces of bone marrow upright in a baking tray into a hot oven and roast for 15-20mins till they’re brown and bubbling in the middle. While the bones are roasting, cut your toasts and pop them in the toaster ready to grill.
- Now put a sturdy frying pan or griddle on the heat and bring it up to temperature. Pop your toasts down. Season the pan with oil and a little salt, before placing the fillets into the slightly smokey oil. The fillets will take about 1 minute on each side.
- While they crackle in the pan, scoop out some bone marrow and spread it generously on your toasts. Pile the sardines on top with a generous throw of parsley and preserved lemon. Enjoy with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.