Marjorie Taylor, Kendall Smith Franchini

Sardine Tartines with Fennel and Preserved Lemon

Name: Sardine Tartines with Fennel and Preserved Lemon
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed; 1 recipe Lemon Confit Vinaigrette; Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper; Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper; Handful roughly chopped fresh dill fronds, plus more for garnish; 4 slices Weeknight Toasts; 2 (3.5- to 4.4-ounce / 100- to 125-g) tins oil-packed sardines, drained well, halved lengthwise if large; 1 lemon; Piment d’Espelette (Espelette pepper), optional; Piment d’Espelette (Espelette pepper), optional

Preparation info

Makes
4
toasts

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

French at Heart

By Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

Published 2025

About

Here, the sweetness of fennel and the sharpness of preserved lemon bring the perfect balance to the earthiness of sardines. Since tinned fish inherently travels so well, this is a good one to assemble at a picnic—just bring the dressed fennel in a separate container.

Ingredients

2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed
1 recipe Lemon Confit Vinaigrette
Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Carefully remove the tough outer layer of each fennel bulb and discard. Halve, core, and thinly slice the fennel on a mandoline.

In a small bowl, toss the fennel with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper, then gently mix in the dill.

Divide the fennel among the toasts. Halve the sardines lengthwise and divide the sardines among the toasts, using 2 or 3 halves per toas