QiMeal
Sarde in Saor
Sarde in Saor · ready in 13 h 46 min · 4 servings · 526 kcal per serving · medium · 10 ingredients
Sarde in Saor is a Venetian lagoon classic, where fried sardines rest under silky onions, vinegar, raisins, and pine nuts until mellow and sweet and sour.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 41 min
- Total
- 13 h 46 min
- Serves
- 4
- kcal
- 526
- Difficulty
- medium
Ingredients · 4 servings
- 500 gSardine, cleaned and butterflied
- 400 gOnion, thinly sliced
- 100 mlVinegar
- 30 gRaisin, rinsed
- 20 gPine nut
- 50 gFlour
- 60 mlOlive oil
- 1 tspSalt
- ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
- 80 mlWater
Equipment
stovetop, refrigerator, measuring jug, knife, cutting board, skillet, saucepan, tongs, shallow dish, paper towel, plate, wooden spoon
Instructions
- Gather ingredients
Gather and measure sardines, onions, vinegar, raisins, pine nuts, flour, olive oil, salt, black pepper, water, a skillet, saucepan, tongs, knife, board, and dish. · 10 min
What to look for: All ingredients are measured and tools are within reach.
- Prepare sardines
Rinse sardines, pat dry, season lightly with salt and black pepper, and dust each fish in flour, shaking away any excess before frying. · 15 min
What to look for: Sardines look dry with a thin, even flour coating.
- Fry sardines
Heat olive oil in a skillet, fry sardines in batches until lightly golden on both sides, then lift them onto a plate to drain. · 15 min
When it is done: Fish flakes easily and reaches 63°C / 145°F at the thickest point.
- Cook onions
Add sliced onions to the same oil and cook gently with a pinch of salt until soft, pale, and sweet without browning. · 20 min
What to look for: Onions are limp, glossy, and still light in color.
- Build saor
Pour in vinegar and water, simmer until sharp steam softens and onions look glossy, then stir in raisins and pine nuts. · 6 min
What to look for: The onions sit in a shiny, lightly reduced sweet and sour liquid.
- Layer dish
Arrange sardines and hot onions in alternating layers in a shallow dish, spooning the saor over every fish so the vinegar reaches the bottom. · 5 min
What to look for: Sardines are covered by onions, raisins, pine nuts, and marinade.
- Marinate cold
Cover the dish, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 12 hours so the sardines absorb the sweet and sour saor. · 12 h 30 min
What to look for: The layers look moist and settled, with onions wrapped around the fish.
- Serve chilled
Serve chilled or just below room temperature, lifting intact sardines with onions, raisins, pine nuts, and a little marinade on each plate. · 5 min
What to look for: Each plate has a glossy sardine portion topped with soft onions.
Nutrition (per serving)
| kcal | 526 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| of which sugars | 9 g |
| Fat | 32 g |
| of which saturated | 4 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Sodium | 575 mg |
Nutri-ScoreB
Allergens
Contains: fish, gluten, tree nuts
May contain: sulphites
Storage and reheating
- Fridge: up to 3 days
- Freezer: not recommended
- Serve chilled from the refrigerator after the onions and vinegar have mellowed.
Ingredient substitutions
Sardine
- Small fresh sardine: Choose small fish for the most traditional texture.
Onion
- Yellow onion: Cook gently so the onion turns soft and sweet without browning.
Vinegar
- White wine vinegar: A clean wine vinegar gives the classic Venetian saor character.
Raisin
- Golden raisin: Golden raisins keep the same sweet contrast with a lighter color.
Pine nut
- Toasted pine nut: Toasting adds aroma, though many traditional versions use them untoasted.
Flour
- Fine wheat flour: Use only a light dusting so the sardines fry delicately.
