Golden Bliss: Portuguese Tempura-Style Crispy Fried Sardines 🐟 - Pabs Kitchen

flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: cornstarch

Whole wheat flour adds fiber while cornstarch is often cheaper.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil is healthier, while vegetable oil is a cost-effective option.

Clean and wash 500 grams of sardines, ensuring they are nice and moist.

In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Coat each sardine in the dry marination until evenly coated, shaking off the excess.

Place the coated sardines on a rack or dry tray and let them sit for 15 minutes.

Heat a pan on medium low flame and add 600 ml of sunflower oil along with 2 cloves of chopped garlic to flavor the oil.

Cook the garlic in the oil until it becomes golden, about 4-5 minutes, then remove it from the oil.

Increase the heat to medium and drop the sardines one by one into the hot oil, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan.

Fry the sardines for 2 minutes without touching them, then gently flip them over.

Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 4 minutes, flipping them a couple of times for even cooking.

After 4 minutes, increase the heat to medium and fry for an additional minute to make the skin crispier and golden.

Remove the sardines to a plate lined with paper towels after frying for a total of 7 minutes for each batch, frying in 2 batches.

Sprinkle a generous amount of lemon juice over the fried sardines before serving.

Optionally, sprinkle chili flakes and dried parsley for extra flavor.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens