Sarde Ripiene. Stuffed Sardines.

After our morning family field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we were all striken with our usual desire to eat seafood. I know that's counterintuitive. For a facility dedicated to the education and preservation of ocean creatures, we always walk out of there craving seafood. Oh, well. At least Riley was armed with his Seafood Watch card and rattled off the "best choices" while we were at the fish counter at the end of Wharf No. 2. Click here to see the Seafood Pocket Guide for the West Coast.

So, we walked out of the market with eight freshly caught Pacific sardines, scallops, and halibut. We decided to have the sardines for dinner tonight. While trying to decide what to do with them, I came across a recipe for Sarde Ripiene. Stuffed Sardines.

But first I had to clean them. What a chore!

Hold the fish under cold running water and rub off the scales with your thumbnail. By hand, snap off the head and pull down; most of the innards will come out with the head. Use a small paring knife to slit the belly down to the tail. Remove any remaining innards and rinse the interior.

Once cleaned you will need to butterfly the sardines for this recipe. Remove the backbone from each sardine by grasping the end of the backbone closer to the head and lifting it out. It usually pulls away cleanly from the flesh, although sometimes it clings. If it does cling, gently work the backbone free with your fingers, damaging the flesh as little as possible. Keep the tail intact.

Sprinkle the sardines on both sides with salt. Spread about a tablespoon or so of filling on each half butterflied. Fold in half. Top with tomato sauce, drizzle with olive oil.

Filling:
1/2 C hazelnut flour
1 egg
2 T minced garlic
1/2 t grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Bake until the fish are sizzling hot and the flesh is white and flakes easily when prodded with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

The dish is best warm, not hot. Divide the sardines among serving plates, drizzle each portion with a little extra virgin olive oil, and accompany with lemon wedges.

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