Sardines on toast

Name: Sardines on toast recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings (we used a mandoline); 2 tsp caster sugar; 2 tsp white wine vinegar; Juice of 1 orange; Extra virgin olive oil, to fry, plus extra to drizzle; 110g jar baby capers, drained, patted dry; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 125g each yellow and red cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1/2 bunch marjoram or oregano, leaves picked; 4 thick slices sourdough bread, chargrilled, torn into bite-sized pieces; 2 x 140g cans sardines in oil, drained

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by Matt Preston

delicious. senior editor

Jun 10, 2020

"Here we’ve flipped it on its head so the bread doesn’t just soak up the sardines’ juices but also the juice of the tomatoes and the dressing," says Matt Preston.

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings (we used a mandoline)
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
Extra virgin olive oil, to fry, plus extra to drizzle
110g jar baby capers, drained, patted dry
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
125g each yellow and red cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 bunch marjoram or oregano, leaves picked
4 thick slices sourdough bread, chargrilled, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 x 140g cans sardines in oil, drained

Method

1.

To pickle the onion, place in a bowl with 1 tsp salt flakes and sugar. Toss well to combine. Leave to stand for 10-12 minutes or until slightly softened, then add the vinegar and orange juice and toss to combine. Set aside.
2.

Fill a small saucepan one-third full of the olive oil. Place over high heat to 160°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 90 seconds when the oil is hot enough). Add the baby capers and fry for 3-5 minutes until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove capers and drain on paper towel then season to taste. Keep pan on heat, add the garlic and fry, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel. Reserve the frying oil and cool to room temperature.
3.

Meanwhile, place the tomato in a large bowl with the marjoram and the chargrilled sourdough. Season to taste and toss to combine.
4.

Drain the pickling liquid from the onion, and reserve onion and liquid in separate bowls. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) of reserved oil to the pickling liquid to make the dressing. Season to taste and stir to combine.
5.

Place the drained pickled onion, crispy capers, crispy garlic, tomato and bread mixture in a bowl with half of the dressing. Toss to combine. Top with sardines and drizzle over remaining dressing to serve.