With summer heat levels still cranked up to max, it's a good time to cook outdoors rather than turning the stove on inside. Smoky, oily sardines cooked on the barbecue are a lovely match to creamy, fresh burrata and charred zucchini. Sardines tend to be an overlooked fish but they are a good choice for a healthy diet and as a sustainably fished species. This recipe needs the freshest, highest quality sardines you can find.
Ingredients
Charred zucchini with burrata
¼ bunch parsley
¼ bunch basil
100ml virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
4 zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise
1 bunch green onions
4 burrata, about 100g each
100g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Charred sardines with garlic and chilli
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
8 sardines, gutted and gilled
1 lemon
good handful parsley, finely chopped
Method
Charred zucchini with burrata
- In a food processor, add the herbs, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, zest and mustard. Whiz until a bright green paste forms, season well and set aside.
- Heat the barbecue grill to high. Put the zucchini and green onions together on a plate, give them a splash of olive oil, season well and cook on the grill until they are nicely charred. Remove from the grill.
- On a plate or in a shallow bowl, arrange the zucchini and spring onions around the outside, making a well for the burrata to sit in. Drizzle over some herb puree, put the buratta in the centre, sprinkle with hazelnuts and season.
- To finish, drizzle over some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Get the barbecue grill good and hot. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, chilli, olive oil, salt and pepper, brush generously over the sardines and put the fish on the hot grill. As they cook, the skin will char and release from the grill, so be patient and don't turn them over before they are ready, or they will stick.
- Turn them when ready and cook on the other side until they char. Remove from grill and put on a serving plate.
- Finely zest the lemon over the top, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately with the charred zucchini and burrata.