HÜT BEL CHERMOULA
MOROCCO
Sardines chermoula are the quintessential street food in Morocco, even in the parts that are far from the sea where people don’t usually eat fish. These are a staple of almost every street food vendor. I usually ask my fishmonger to butterfly the sardines and if your fishmonger is good, he will do it for you. Serve with good bread and the salad of your choice.
SERVES 4 TO 6
2¼ pounds (1 kg) fresh sardines, butterflied
Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dredging
Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
1. Pat the sardines dry with paper towels. Lay them skin side down on your work surface, and spread a little chermoula over half of the sardines. Then lay the remaining sardines over those spread with chermoula, skin side up, as if you were making sandwiches with the chermoula as the filling. Transfer the sardines to a large platter and let them sit for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, in the refrigerator to absorb the flavors of the chermoula.
2. Put enough flour to dredge the sardines in a soup plate or a wide shallow bowl and season with a little salt and pepper. Dip each sardine “sandwich” into the flour on both sides. Place on a plate.
3. Set a fine-mesh wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat until hot (if you drop a piece of bread in the oil, the oil should immediately bubble around it). Working in batches, slip in as many sardines as will fit comfortably in the pan and fry for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to the rack to drain off excess oil. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
CHERMOULA
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP (250 ML)
5 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), grated on the fine side of a grater
½ bunch cilantro (3½ ounces/100 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. You can store this, covered, in the refrigerator for a day.