Generally, the tapas recipes ideas are the tasty and festive snacks and appetizers that traditionally include chorizo, meatballs, fried baby squid, and olives. As for today, it’s the stuffed fried sardines that are ideal to enjoy during summer to celebrate the sardine season throughout Galicia.

Here’s our tapas recipes for today!

Stuffed Fried Sardines Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 sardines—spines removed, butterflied, tails and heads removed
• 2 tbsp. chopped raisins
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. chopper parsley
• 1 large scallion, minced
• 1 tbsp. dry, fine bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. fennel pollen or ground fennel
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Serrano ham
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large eggs
• All-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. water
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Mix raisins with scallion, lemon juice, fennel, ham, bread crumbs, and parsley in a small bowl. Season with pepper and salt. Open a sardine and on one side, put a teaspoon of the filling. Close the fish; press together firmly. Repeat the same process with the remaining filling and sardines.
2. In a shallow bowl, spread flour. In another bowl, place the eggs and beat the water into them. Dredge the fish first in the flour, dip into the egg mix to coat thoroughly, let the excess drip off, and dredge it again in the flour. Shake off any excess.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add sardines and over moderately high heat, fry them until becoming crispy and golden brown. Drain the fish on paper towels briefly and arrange on plates. Repeat the frying process with the remaining sardines.

Tips

You can serve this tapas recipes along with mesclun salad and lemon wedges to add some freshness to its taste, which represents summer season perfectly. This sardine-based tapas recipe idea is also great when it’s paired with citrusy albarino.