Pilchards on Toast

Name: Pilchards on Toast
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4 slices of bread, about 1cm thick; 3 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into rough 1cm dice; 2 shallots, finely chopped; 6 tablespoons extra-virgin rapeseed or olive oil, plus more for brushing; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar; 8 pilchards, scaled, filleted and any residual small bones removed

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

British Regional Food

By Mark Hix

Published 2006

About

This dish does bear an obvious resemblance to those rather grim canned pilchards in tomato sauce, but the combination is a good one, and the acidity of the tomato just cuts that oiliness of the fish to produce a snack or supper dish that is both satisfying and healthy.

Ingredients

2 shallots, finely chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin rapeseed or olive oil, plus more for brushing

Europe
United Kingdom
Fish course
Snack
Supper
Pescatarian

Method

Gently cook the shallots in the oil for 2-3 minutes without allowing them to colour. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and parsley, season and simmer for another couple of minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to its hottest temperature. Make a couple o