Sarde in saor

Serves: 4

If they like it, it serves 4 otherwise

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Totaltime: 35 minutes

A typical regional dish from Venice. The pungency of the sardines is combined with the sweetness of the onion and the raisins, the bright flavor of the vinegar, and the crunchiness of the pine nuts. the freshest sardines are deep-fried and left to marinate in a slightly sweet, slightly vinegary sauce along with thin slices of prized Chioggia onions. This process both flavours and preserves the dish. To serve, they’re sprinkled with pine nuts and sometimes raisins.

Ingredients

1 pound sardines
½ cup flour
6 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
1 ¾ cup sweet onion sliced
½ cup raisins
½ cup pine nuts
1 ½ cup vinegar white wine
1 baguette sliced and toasted

Preparation

Clean and gut the sardines, removing the heads and tails. Rinse them and pat them dry. Coat them in flour and fry them in EVOO until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
Soak the raisins in warm water for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 300°F (160°C) and toast the pine nuts until lightly browned.
Add some EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to another skillet and when the oil shimmers, add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Turn off the heat and cover the onions with vinegar until completely submerged. Add the raisins previously soaked, and the toasted pine nuts.
Take a deep plate and spread some onions and vinegar, put the sardines on top and cover them with more onions. Continue until you have used all the ingredients.
Cover and let it sit in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours before serving. It is better if you serve it the day after.
Slice diagonally a baguette in 1/4 inch thick slices, toast the slices of bread and serve them with the Sarde in Saor.