Steamed Anchovies or Sardines

Sardoni o Sardelle al Vapore

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4 to 6

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
La Terra Fortunata

By Fred Plotkin

Published 2001

  • About

I have sampled versions of this dish all along the Adriatic littoral from Capodistria and Muggia to Trieste, Monfalcone, Grado, and Lignano. In each place it is just a little bit different, so this recipe is an amalgamation of the best of each preparation. Use large fresh anchovies or sardines.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound/450 g fresh whole anchovies or sardines (or 4 sardines per serving)

Method

Clean the sardines, removing heads and tails and gutting the innards. Open each fish like a book, rinse very well with cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place them carefully in a steamer basket and set the basket over a large pot of rapidly boiling water. If you do not have such a basket, put the fish in a metal colander or steamer and place it atop the pot of boiling water, co