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Caesar Salad with Pickled Sardines

Prep time
190 mins
Cooking Time
30 mins
Serves
2

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons anchovy mayonnaise (see below for ingredients and method) 
  • A dash of Worcestershire sauce 
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
  • 2 heads of romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed 
  • 6 pickled/marinated MSC certified sardine fillets, drained 
  • Parmesan for grating over the top  

Pickled Sardines

  • 6 MSC certified sardine fillets
  • 70ml white wine vinegar
  • 30g sugar
  • 30ml water
  • 5g salt 
  • Few coriander seeds
Anchovy mayonnaise

  • 40g MSC certified anchovies
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 10g balsamic vinegar
  • 10g Dijon mustard
  • 10g capers 
  • 10g chopped parsley 
  • 200ml vegetable oil, or vegetable oil mixed with oil from the can of anchovies

Method

  1. For the sardines, buy them fresh from the fishmonger and ask him to fillet them for you (or do this yourself).  Combine the white wine vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a pan and bring to the boil, then cool. Once cold add a few coriander seeds. Pour over the sardine fillets and leave to pickle for 2-3 hours or overnight if you like a strong pickle.
  2. Next move onto the mayonnaise. Blend together the anchovies, egg yolks, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, capers and chopped parsley until smooth. Slowly incorporate the oil, until you reach the desired consistency, just as if making a regular mayonnaise.
  3. Finally put the mayonnaise into a large bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic and mix it all together. Separate the lettuce leaves, add to the bowl and gently massage in the dressing to ensure it coats each leaf. Lift them onto the plates and weave the sardine fillets into the leaves. Finish with a good grating of parmesan.