This recipe is part of a series of healthy Italian-inspired dishes that Jennifer and I created together.
Jennifer Cauli is a friend and a talented food & travel photographer who also comes from Italy. Together we joined forces to create a series of recipes (and pictures) that would use the typical Italian ingredients, but also have a contemporary and healthy twist.
We are very happy of our project and we hope to continue offering you great recipe ideas.
One of the most important nutrients for the immune system is vitamin D. However, in winter months, it is extremely common to see vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency amongst people. The reason for this is the reduced day-light from autumn to early spring, which impacts the skin’s ability to make vitamin D.
What you could do to increase your vitamin D level is to eat more fish such as salmon, tuna, sole… and sardines!
Sardines are also packed with essential fatty acids, low in toxins —as they are a small fish with a short lifespan— and they take 15 mins to cook, so you now have plenty of reasons why you should include them into your diet.
Jennifer and I decided to make this salad to go with our roasted fish because yellow and red peppers are the fruits with the highest vitamin C content —yes, peppers and not oranges! Bell peppers are also rich in vitamin E, betacarotene and flavonoids, so they do contain a wide variety of antioxidants.
We also added capers for their quercetin content and parsley as it is high in betacarotene.
The “cherry on top of the cake” for this healthy meal is Apple Cider Vinegar. Being a fermented food, ACV contains healthy probiotics which can improve our gut flora and, therefore, support our immune system.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 serves
INGREDIENTS
6 fresh whole cleaned sardines
2tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs dried oregano
parsley
2 tsp salt
ground pepper
Peppers salad
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
10 black olives
1tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp capers
salt
black pepper
For the salad, cut the peppers in very small cubes. Then
cut the black olives in a half and slice them into small
pieces. Put these in a large bowl, add in the capers and
toss with the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
For your sardines, first thing when you purchase them
make sure to ask your fishmonger to clean them for you,
unless it is something you enjoy doing.
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
Pat dry the sardines and place them on an oven tray with
some baking paper underneath. Rub the sardines on the
inside and outside with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano.
Then chop the garlic cloves very thinly and do the same
with the parsley. Place parsley and garlic inside the sardines
together with a small slice of lemon.
Cook the sardines in the oven for approximately 15
minutes, until well cooked and crispy.
Serve with the peppers salad and with a slice of bread if
you wish.
“I still remember the first time I ate sardines… It was many years ago, in one of my summer holidays in Southern Italy with my dad. The restaurants where we were having dinner had some Sarde a Beccafico on the buffet and I got tempted by their inviting appearance. Wow! Nothing was ever quite the same after I tried them.
Sicilian cuisine is probably my favourite as it balance strong flavours with fruits and nuts. Sarde a Beccafico are roasted sardines with a filling of pine nuts, sultanas, breadcrumbs and parsley. If you have never tried them before, I strongly invite you to do so!”
Giulia
Cromo Nutrition 