Desperation Mustard Sardines Over Rice Recipes

POP'S TOMATO-BRAISED SARDINES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat until warm. Add garlic powder and paprika; cook until you can smell the spices, about 1 minute. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add cherry tomatoes and mix until well combined. Cover the pan and cook until tomatoes begin to release their liquid, about 5 minutes.
• While tomatoes are cooking, combine remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with 1/2 of the lime juice. Add sardines and gently toss to coat with lime marinade.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Remove the lid from the skillet. Pour cooking wine in with onion and tomatoes; stir well. Add water and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until liquid begins to reduce, about 5 minutes.
• Remove sardines from the marinade and place on top of tomato sauce. Discard remaining marinade.
• Place under the preheated broiler until sardines are well cooked and some of the tomatoes are charred, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour remaining lime juice over the sardines and serve.

DESPERATION MUSTARD SARDINES OVER RICE

Steps:

• I used a rice cooker to prepare the rice, but you could also steam it on the stove (carefully!). Mix 2 cups water, the coriander seeds, the mustard seeds, and 1 tsp dill weed with the rice; (if stovetop bring to a boil and) cook 20 min till rice is done. If you're preparing the rice on the stovetop you may want to wait and add the dill after the rice is cooked.
• Mix ranch dressing, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and the other 1 tsp dill weed in a small dish to make a dressing.
• When rice is done, put in serving dishes. Top with herring steaks (and the sauce from the can); top that with the ranch dressing mixture. Serve.

ISLAND-STYLE SARDINES AND RICE

Steps:

• Melt coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat; add tomato, onion, garlic, and scotch bonnet chile pepper. Cook and stir tomato mixture until onion is almost translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Pour sardines and soybean oil into tomato-onion mixture; mash fish with a fork until incorporated. Cover skillet, reduce to low, and cook until sardines are heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sardine mixture over rice.

SPINACH, SARDINE AND RICE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 1 1/2 to 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Remove the sardines from the oil and separate them into fillets. Set the oil aside.
• Wilt the spinach either by steaming or blanching. To blanch bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the spinach. Blanch for no more than 20 seconds (do this in batches). Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. If you prefer, you can wilt the spinach by steaming for about 1 minute over an inch of boiling water. Chop medium-fine.
• Heat the olive oil (not the oil from the sardines) in the skillet over medium heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, stir in the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, then add the chopped wilted spinach, flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together for 1 minute, until everything is blended. Add the milk and cooked rice and stir together for about 1 minute, until you no longer see liquid in the pan. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• Spread half the rice and spinach in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the sardine fillets in one layer. Drizzle a tablespoon of the oil from the cans over the sardines, then top with the remaining rice and spinach in an even layer. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and drizzle on another tablespoon of the oil from the sardine cans. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, until sizzling. Serve hot or warm.