Stuffed Sardines with Pine Nut Sauce

Large fleshy sardines are boned, filled and trussed for this delicious dish with its soothing sauce. Use a sharp knife to slit the underside of each sardine from head to tail. Remove the guts and carefully smooth the area around the backbone with your fingers to gently prise it out. Once released, snap it off at each end, keeping the rest of the fish intact. Rinse well under cold water.

As with all fish, these sardines are tastiest when cooked over a charcoal grill, but a convention