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Sardines With Roasted Tomatoes, Fennel, and Saffron

Sardines roasted tomatoes fennel bulbs pine nuts and dill on a plate.
Photo by Steven Joyce

Pairing sardines with roasted tomatoes, fennel, and saffron might just be the best thing we’ve ever done with them. Sardines are also packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and are a great, sustainable fish option.

This recipe was excerpted from 'LEON Big Salads' by Rebecca Seal. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more of our favorite sardine recipes →

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4

Ingredients

400 g (14 oz.) cherry tomatoes, halved around the middle
2 heads of fennel, trimmed, cut into ½-inch wedges, fronds reserved and roughly chopped for garnishing
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt
A knob of butter
4 Tbsp. pine nuts
4 Tbsp. flaked almonds
Two 125 g (4.5-oz.) cans of sardines in sunflower oil, broken into chunks
A pinch of saffron, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425°F.

    Step 2

    Place the cherry tomatoes and fennel wedges on a baking tray and add the oil and a pinch of salt. Use your hands to turn each piece, ensuring everything is coated in oil. Roast in the oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just beginning to collapse and the fennel is charring. Set aside to cool a little.

    Step 3

    Place a knob of butter in a small pan and add the pine nuts and flaked almonds. Toast for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until golden all over.

    Step 4

    Place the toasted pine nuts, almonds, vegetables and the reserved chopped fennel fronds in a mixing bowl. Add the sardines and crumble over the saffron. Season with black pepper, then gently mix everything together. Leave to stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

    Step 5

    Serve at room temperature.

LEON-Big Salads-COVER.jpg
Excerpted from LEON Big Salads by Rebecca Seal, Conran. Photography by Steven Joyce. Buy the full book from Amazon.

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