Marinated sardine fillets

SERVES 4 AS A SNACK

8 sardine fillets

75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately

½ brown onion, finely sliced

1 baby fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced (make sure you have the same amount of fennel as onion)

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

a pinch of chilli flakes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) sherry vinegar

8 black peppercorns

4 dried bay leaves

toasted sourdough slices, to serve

Dredge the sardines in the seasoned flour and dust off the excess. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium–high heat and fry the sardines until coloured and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Place the sardines in a shallow glass or ceramic dish that will fit them all in one layer.

Add a little more olive oil to the frying pan if needed and gently fry the onion, fennel, garlic and chilli flakes until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, parsley, sherry, peppercorns, bay leaves and 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until reduced by one-third. Pour the mixture over the sardines, cover the dish with plastic wrap and marinate for 12 hours – or up to 2 days – in the fridge.

Remove the dish from the fridge an hour or so before you plan to eat the sardines so they can come to room temperature. Simply serve a sardine fillet on a piece of toasted sourdough, with or without butter depending on your preference – but definitely with a cold beer!