These lush roasted easy bacon sardines taste best with a topping of crumbly egg gribiche sauce… What a great fish lunch with a classic French twist!
Yummy tummy!
Roasted easy bacon sardines in an eggy gribiche sauce…
Bacon and sardines, does that really work?
It sure does, what a great combo.
I also love to serve these sardines for lunch with a crisp green salad on the side.
Classic French Sauce Gribiche
Sauce gribiche is a French classic dressing.
So what does it taste like?
You could say that sauce gribiche is something in between a classic tartare sauce and a sauce vièrge because it contains hard-boiled eggs, capers, pickled gherkins, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, parsley and tarragon.
Traditionally in France this sauce is served with boiled calf’s head (tête de veau in French) or steamed white or green asparagus.
Easy Bacon Sardines & Sauce Gribiche
Do you cook with sardines often?
I know quite a lot of people who actually don’t like sardines at all.
Because sardines can be very strong in flavor.
And they also contain quite a lot of tiny thin fishbones. However, if the sardines that you are using are absolutely fresh, and you cook them perfectly then the meat should come off the fishbones easily.
My fishmonger often fillets sardines.
How to Clean Sardines
Just because it makes life easier if you are in a hurry.
And sure those fillets at quite handy as well. I do like to get my hands dirty though and clean the sardines myself. Check out how to clean sardines at home! I made a a step by step picture guide if you’re brave enough to try it out yourself.
And I have to admit that it is pretty straight forward as well.
Are you looking for other fresh sardines recipes?
Then you should also try out my Venetian style sweet and sour sardines, also known by the name of sarde in saor!
Enjoy!
Easy Bacon Sardines & Sauce Gribiche Recipe
My roasted easy bacon sardines topped with a crumbly egg gribiche sauce… What a great fish lunch with a classic French twist!
- 8 large fresh sardines
- 4 thin slices salted bacon
- 1 tbsp capers in brine chopped finely
- 2 small pickled gherkins chopped finely
- ½ tsp strong mustard
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Once cleaned, rinse the sardines well and then pat them dry with some kitchen paper. Place them upside down on a clean chopping board and sprinkle with some pepper, salt and dried herbs.
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Slice the bacon strips in half, then fold them up a bit until it fits in the sardines bellies. Place the sardines in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil.
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Roast the sardines in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes. In the meantime chop the hard-boiled egg finely and then add it to a bowl or large cup.
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Add the chopped capers and gherkins. Also add ¼ cup (60 ml) of olive oil, the mustard and the lemon juice.
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Then add the freshly chopped tarragon and parsley.
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Season with some pepper and salt. Stir the egg sauce well.
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Remove the sardines from the hot oven. You can serve them hot or cold. Then transfer the sardines onto plates and drizzle with the gribiche sauce. Serve.
