#ewew cooks Fried (Fresh) Sardines

I think all of us are well versed with sardines....but usually the kind that comes out of a can.  I love sardines...and don't mind those that come out of a can at all.  Canned sardines in tomato sauce is one canned food that you'll always find well stocked in my pantry.  It's a staple I resort to on rainy days and would cook it the most common way and that's by adding sliced onions (and fresh chillies if I have) which makes for a quick and simple meal with rice.

Then you have the more fresh-looking sardines in extra virgin olive oil, slightly more atas (premium) kind that also comes out of a can (but without sauce).  These I would eat as a snack on top of some crackers or as a sandwich.  But, besides the canned versions, you have fresh sardines which I'm working with today.

Fresh sardines isn't commonly found in our local wet markets.  Either that or I mistook them for mackerel or ikan kembong as the two look very similar.  The difference for me is that the ikan sardin is a little narrower/thinner (in body shape) and the head is slightly more pointy compared to ikan kembong but such differences can easily be overlooked.  So, the only way is to ask the fishmonger or buy them online.

I recently got some fresh la la from Barang Dapur Basah (BDB) and it turned out rather well.  In that same purchase, I also bought some fresh sardines (500g) from them (the fish looked fresh with clear, reddish eyes). This is the first time I'm cooking with fresh sardines as I've never found it at my regular fishmonger.

When cooking with small fish, the best way (in my opinion) is to fry them until crispy so that you can devour the whole fish, head and all.  So I made a seasoned flour (you could also just go with plain cornflour) by using salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, (a little) chilli powder and (dried) parsley.

Make sure you pat your fish dry.  Dredge the fish in seasoned flour and shake off any access (my seasoning seems to be lost in all that flour).  This dredging in flour also helps during the deep-frying process to reduce the incidence of oil splattering.

Lower the fish gently into some hot oil and shallow-fry until the fish is cooked and nicely browned.....it's getting there! ;)

I would suggest to use medium heat so that the fish don't brown too quickly (since it's quite small) as you'll want to cook it longer so that it gets really crispy.  If you want it super crispy, you'll have to deep-fry them.

I wanted to eat the fried (fresh) sardines as a meal in itself, a low carb meal at that (great for those on a keto diet as well), so I made a simple salad to go with it.  Just chop up some cucumber and pineapples and season with a light pinch of salt and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Top with some chopped fresh coriander...and serve with some lemon wedges.  The colours of green and yellow are so pretty.....it's like sunshine on a plate! ^_~

The fish is nicely flaky with a satisfyingly crispy skin.  I prefer to eat sardines over ikan kembong (mackerel) as I find the meat not as dry as kembong.  Of course, any fried fish without sauce will still have that bit of dryness to it.  So, a fresh juicy salad will definitely help.  Also, that little touch of chopped coriander will add further freshness to the plate.

Finally, you have to eat it with a squeeze of lemon juice over the fish...it's a must (the lemon wedges are not there just for aesthetic pleasure).  It not only brings juiciness to the fish but also enhances its fragrant aroma.

If you do not wish to eat the fried sardines like a western meal in itself, you can also serve the fried fish in a Chinese-style meal as one of the dishes with rice.

We fry and eat these crispy small fish with rice all the time like those tiny pomfret (my favourite) or ikan bulus (whiting?).  Some of these small fish we don't even know the names but we just buy them and goreng saja...and eat the whole thing, head and tail.

I was very pleased with the freshness of the ikan sardin I got from BDB and seeing that I could get full on just 3 fish, you bet I'll be making this again for my low carb meals.  I now know where I can get a regular supply of fresh sardines from.