🐟 Married Sardines – Samian Recipe with Herbs and Muscat Wine

🌊 A taste of the sea with the aromas of Samos

Married sardines are a distinctive dish of Samian cuisine, in which two sardine fillets are paired around an aromatic filling of onion, garlic, parsley and mint.

The fish are baked briefly in the oven so they remain tender and juicy, while olive oil and fresh herbs enhance the characteristic flavour of the sardines.

In a more elaborate Samian presentation, the dish is accompanied by sea fennel, barley rusk moistened with Muscat wine of Samos, olive paste and fresh vegetables, bringing together the flavours of the Aegean Sea and the produce of the Samian land.

👨‍🍳 Method

1. Clean the sardines

Remove the heads and entrails from the sardines and carefully open them out.

Remove the central bone without separating the fillets more than necessary, then rinse them thoroughly.

2. Prepare the filling

Finely chop the onion and garlic and mix them with parsley, mint and a little breadcrumbs.

Season with a little salt, pepper and fresh oregano.

3. “Marry” the sardines

Lightly oil a baking dish.

Arrange half of the sardine fillets on the dish, place a small amount of filling on each one and cover with a second fillet.

Press lightly so that the two pieces remain together.

4. Bake

Drizzle the sardines with a little olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 10 minutes.

The short cooking time helps keep the fish tender and juicy.

🍷 Samian-style serving

For a more complete presentation, lightly soak a piece of barley rusk in Muscat wine of Samos and serve it with olive paste.

The sea fennel can be quickly sautéed in hot olive oil to give it a lightly crisp texture.

Serve the married sardines warm with the rusk, sea fennel, fresh oregano and, if desired, a green salad and thin slices of seasonal vegetables.