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Ravinder Bhogal knows how to make breadcrumbs look amazing. His recipe for butterbeans aglio e olio topped with anchovy pangrattato was a big hit with readers in January. Here, sourdough breadcrumbs form the base of a salsa that tastes surprisingly fresh despite being loaded with ingredients. Eat it as an early dinner somewhere sunny and you’ll probably add “putting dried fruit in salsa” to the list of things Ravinder can convince you to try.
drink
The recipe was inspired by a trip to Sicily, and Ravinder recommends a fresh white wine from one of the region’s natural winemakers, such as Arianna Occhipinti’s SP68.
Replacement
You can also use sultanas instead of currants, red wine vinegar or other shallots if desired, and canned sardines make a deliciously different dish.
Tip
“Stale bread makes a great pangrattato to top fish pasta where you don’t want to use Parmesan,” says Ravinder. (Traditionally, pairing cheese with fish pasta is heresy.) If you use canned sardines instead of fresh, Ravinder suggests serving it as a pasta dish: Toss the finished dish with spaghetti.
Ravinder Bhogal’s Sardines with Breadcrumb Salsa
Serves 2
Breadcrumb salsa
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First, make the salsa: In a small bowl, combine the currants and shallots. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper, then drizzle in 3 tablespoons each of the olive oil and vinegar, and mix well.
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Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes, but you can leave it overnight.
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Roughly chop the bread and process in a food processor until it becomes coarse crumbs. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and breadcrumbs and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes until the bread is crisp. Allow to cool. Toast the pine nuts in the pan.
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Mix the tomatoes, capers, pine nuts, parsley and cooled breadcrumbs in a bowl, spoon the salsa over and set aside while you fry the sardines.
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Season the sardines with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Heat a frying pan and fry the sardines, skin side down, for 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip, remove the pan from the heat and cook in the residual heat for a further 2 minutes. Serve with the salsa and a sprinkling of lemon zest. If using canned sardines, do not heat them.
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