Grilled Sardine "Sausages"
Sasizzeddi in Sarde Arrustuti
Region: Italy, Sicily
Category: Seafood-Grilled
Season: Summer
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

This recipe from Palermo is an example of a dish from cucina arabo-sicula, Arab-Sicilian cuisine, which is a reference to a folkloric culinary concept in Sicily of vestigial culinary Arabisms identified by products introduced by the Arabs or methods typical of Arab cooking. In this particular case those markers are grilling with skewers, stuffing of meat, the use of orange, and the use of currants and pine nuts in the stuffing. This is a dish which requires fresh sardines and typically it is a preparation for a midsummer barbecue and whenever you find fresh sardines.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time: 1:15 hours

2 pounds fresh whole sardines (12 to 20), cleaned and gutted, with heads and tails removed

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling

3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

1/3 cup finely diced caciocavallo cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons currants, soaked in tepid water 15 minutes and drained

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon pine nuts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 large eggs

All-purpose flour for coating

3 Valencia (juice) oranges

1 loaf crusty French baguette

Twelve 8- to 10-inch wooden skewers

Lemon wedges

Parsley sprigs for garnish

1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes on high.

2. Pull out the backbones of the sardines by gripping the end of the backbone nearest to where the head was.  Do this carefully so you do not rip the sardines in half.  Wash each sardine in cold water, inside and out, and pat dry.  Place the sardines in a 9 x 12-inch ceramic or glass baking pan and add the vinegar.

3. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add 3 of the sardines and cook, stirring, until they disintegrate, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the bread crumbs, stirring with a wooden spoon until they are moistened.  Add the cheese, drained currants, garlic, parsley, and pine nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

4. Stuff each remaining sardine with a teaspoon of the bread crumb mixture.  Squeeze closed, holding the sardines in your hands as if you were praying.  Don't worry if they don't pinch shut.  Set aside.  You can also lay the sardines opened flat (they will be delta-shaped), spread some stuffing on them, and roll up from head to tail.

5. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.  Spread some flour on a piece of wax paper.  Carefully coat each sardine in egg, then dredge in the flour.  Transfer to a baking tray.  Shake the tray once, sharply, to shake off excess flour from the sardines, without handling them too much.

6. Slice the oranges into cubes or 1 x 3 inch shapes, leaving the peel on.  Slice the bread into the same size and shape.  Double skewer all the ingredients: hold 2 skewers parallel to each other about 1/2 inch apart between your thumb and forefinger.  Thread a sardine onto double skewers, then add a slice of bread and a slice or orange.  Continue in that order, placing 2 sardines on each set of double skewers.  Keep the split part of the sardine up so the stuffing doesn't fall out.  (You need not worry about this if you have rolled the flat sardines up).  When you lift the sardines from the tray to the skewers, use both hands and squeeze the sardines a bit.  Once they are on the skewer, squeeze them with the bread and orange slices so all the pieces are tight together.

7. Drizzle olive oil over the skewers, place on the grill for 5 minutes a side or until some of the bread begins to blacken, about 5 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.  Don't discard the oranges and their peels.  You eat everything!

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 12/30/2006