Sarde in Saor

Sarde in Saor is a traditional venetian dish.  It’s VERY tasty and when I served it at a finger food style party I assumed it would only be gobbled by the serious foodies in the crowd…. I was wrong!  It was enjoyed by all.  While it is by rights of italian origin, I found it fitted nicely into a middle eastern groaning board.  Literally, Sarde in saor translates as sour sardines which is unfortunately not the most sexy name so I generally go with the italian name or refer to it as lemon & balsamic sardines with caramelised onion.

Ingredients
1 red onion, peeled
12 sardines
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp currants

Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp balasamic 

Method

Slice onion into discs 1cm thick
Lay on a large piece of foil
Dust with salt and pepper
Drizzle with olive oil and some vinegar
Wrap foil over to make a parcel
Place on tray and bake for 1 hour at 170 degrees
Lay sardines on a tray and sprinkle with salt
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan
Place a few fillets in pan, skin side down for a couple of minutes
Flip and brown for a second or two
Toss the onion rings with a little slt & pepper (if needed)
Lay onions on platter
Arrange sardines over
Sprinkle pinenuts and currants over
Whisk dressing ingredients with a little sardine
Drizzles over sardines