Oven baked tomato & Mozzarella sardines

Since I was a kid it was always clear that on Friday we had seafood for dinner, either fish or mussels, or even octopus, it had to be seafood as my parents decided. That ritual or a tradition still goes on today, and since it’s Friday, I just have to share with you another delicious seafood dish recipe. This time it’s a new way of preparing sardines, combined with tomato and Mozzarella, and though it might be an unconventional combination, I guarantee it’s a most delicious one!

Croatia has a long coastline, and we have a lot of fish, or at least we should. The prices at the market are really high. For a country that has so much of its coastline, it’s a question why we have really expensive fish at the local market. No matter the cost, it is always fresh and delicious. Fortunately there are always fresh Adriatic sardines you can prepare a million ways.

Next to sardines I served crispy croquettes, and I’ve already shared the recipe for them before, but nevertheless you can find the same recipe here in this post. In the photos below, if you’re not as big of a fan of seafood or sardines, you can check out another two delicious recipes I prepared and served with croquettes.

Steak marinated in beer, croquettes & grilled pepper

 

 

Grilled pork steak, croquettes & zucchini

Even though the recipe and the combination of ingredients in it are an unlikely pair I urge you to try it out because it is a pretty delicious one!

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Enjoy & happy cooking!

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Preparation: 25 min

Cook time: 15 min

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

Sardines:

• 700 g sardines
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 400 ml crushed tomatoes
• pinch of sugar
• 2 leaves basil, sliced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 100 g Mozzarella cheese, grated
• Salt & pepper to taste

Croquettes:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced in cubes
• 250 g all – purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt

How to

1. Preheat the oven to 220° C. Sprinkle some olive oil over a large baking tray.
2. Clean the sardines before seasoning them with some salt and pepper. Place them on a large baking tray.
3. Heat some olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add chopped onion and garlic, and let them simmer until soft. Stir in crushed tomatoes and season with a pinch of sugar, basil, oregano, parsley and some salt. Cook until you get a thick sauce.
4. Top the sardines with tomato sauce and finish off with grated Mozzarella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for 6 to 10 min until cheese melts.
5. In a large cooking pot bring slightly salted water to a boil. Place sliced potatoes in the boiling water and cook until soft. Drain the water and mash potatoes. Combine mashed potatoes, flour and 1 egg and form a firm dough. Using your hands form “snakes” from the dough and cut 3 – 4 cm slices.
6. In a large frying pan fry the pieces of dough until golden brown and crispy. Serve with oven baked sardines in tomato sauce and Mozzarella!