How To Make Fennel And Grilled Sardines Salad

Step 1: Prepare the fennel

Take the first fennel bulb and cut in half, discarding the ends. Slice it finely. Repeat this with the other bulb.

Step 2: Marinate the fennel

Place the sliced fennel in the bowl and add the chopped basil, halved cherries, lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar.

Leave the other 2 tablespoons of the oil for cooking the fish. Combine all these ingredients thoroughly.

Step 3: Heat the grill pan

The grill pan needs to be heated up until it is extremely hot. This can take approximately 5 minutes.

Step 4: Cook the sardines

Drizzle the sardines with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season generously with the salt and pepper.

Cook the sardines in batches of 5, leaving it on the pan four about 1.5 minutes. They need to be removed whilst still slightly pink inside and should not be flipped over to grill the other side.

Being a very delicate fish, sardines should be eaten slightly underdone - the more it is cooked, the stronger its flavour becomes.

Place them on the tray as each batch is cooked. Continue this process until all the sardines are cooked.

Step 5: Assemble the salad

Place a few sardines onto a plate and top with some of the fennel mixture. Continue this layering with the sardines and fennel until everything is piled on. Pour the remaining juices from the fennel bowl around the layers of the assembled salad.

Step 6: Serving suggestions

Serve this salad as a lunch or starter.