• 24 small sardines, cleaned but left whole with their heads
• salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• juice of 2 lemons
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the broiler. Rinse and dry the sardines between paper towels and sprinkle them with salt and flour. Place them in a shallow baking dish and put them 2 inches from the broiler flame for 2 minutes. Using two spatulas, turn them over on the other side. If you feel they are too small and fragile to turn over, let them cook 2 minutes longer on the same side.

Carefully take the sardines out of the broiler with two spatulas and place them on a warm platter. Sprinkle them with lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, and olive oil and serve.