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Moroccan Baked Whole Sardines

In Morocco, sardines are abundant on the long coastline, making these flavorful little fish extremely affordable. Flavor and pricing aside, there's another good reason to select sardines at the fish market—they're very good for us. Allow approximately one-half pound or 250 grams of sardines per person when serving whole baked sardines as an entrée. Serve with some roasted vegetables or a tossed salad.

complex6 ingredients7 preparation steps
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds whole fresh sardines, gutted and descaled
  • 1/4 cup coarse sea salt, or rock salt, more or less as needed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh lemon, thinly sliced or cut into wedges, for garnish, optional
  • Cumin, to taste, as a condiment for serving

Preparation

  1. 1Steps to Make It
  2. 2Gather the ingredients.The Spruce Eats
  3. 3Preheat your oven to 350 F/175 C. Wash the sardines in a bowl of water, scraping off any residual scales with a small knife. Drain the sardines.The Spruce Eats
  4. 4If desired, line a shallow baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Generously sprinkle rock salt or coarse sea salt on the bottom and arrange the sardines on top of the salt.The Spruce Eats
  5. 5Brush or drizzle each sardine with a little olive oil and season generously with freshly ground pepper. If you like, sprinkle additional rock salt over the fish, topping with a few thin slices of fresh lemon.The Spruce Eats
  6. 6Bake the sardines in the middle of the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or just until the skin slides off easily and the fish is tender. For darker coloring, bake in the upper part of the oven.The Spruce Eats
  7. 7Transfer the sardines to a serving platter garnished with lemon wedges. Cumin may be offered at the table as a condiment.