Grilled Sardines with Green Tomato Relish

Unripened green tomatoes have a great acidity that works well with oily fish like sardines and they have a nice firm texture that gives a nice crunchy texture. I’ve used bladder wrack seaweed on the open fire here but at home you can simply grill or barbeque them....
Recipe of the day
@plymouthgin

Grilled sardines with green tomato relish

Paired with a Plymouth Gin Tom Collins

ingredients


12 or more sardines, gutted and scaled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little vegetable or corn oil for brushing
3-4 green tomatoes, finely chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 green chilli, trimmed and finely chopped, seeds and all
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

method

1. First make the relish: mix the tomatoes, spring onions, green chilli, olive oil, cider vinegar and coriander together and season to taste and leave to stand for an hour before using.


2. Pre heat a grill or barbeque, season and lightly oil the sardines and grill for 3-4 minutes until nicely coloured. If barbecuing, you may want to put them in a fish grilling rack so you can turn them easily without them sticking.


3. To serve, transfer to a serving plate and spoon over the relish.


4. Pair with a Plymouth Gin Tom Collins. A sour cocktail made using a base spirit of Gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water, served long over ice. It’s light, refreshing and will cut through the oiliness of the sardines beautifully.