Summer is dying and with it the last sardines of the season. Nobles, tasty and versatile, it is devotion that we feel in Direct to the Palate for them, where we have worked them in dozens of different ways.
We have roasted them in the microwave (so that the house does not stink), we have prepared them fried, we have pickled them, we have smoked them, roasted in the oven or cooked in papillote, all loaded with a versatility that makes them Suitable for an aperitif or as a garnish and main course.
Authentic religion shared by certain areas such as Galicia or Malaga, where San Juan and the espetos mark the tempos of summer, and that leads us to a doubt, sometimes existential, that fills us with uncertainties about whether size matters (or not).
The culinary debate about the importance of size, timing and everything that comes with the simple fact of when to prefer a larger sardine or a smaller sardine, all depending on how we want to prepare it.
To get out of doubt and check if we like them big or we like them small, We spoke with several chefs to find out when to go for higher weights and sizes.
In search of flavor and texture
We are all clear that the sardine is only enjoyed in summer, which is when it comes well loaded with fat, as recommended by the Argentine-Galician chef Pablo Pizarro. “The sardine, always in summer, that’s why we say ‘for San Juan, the sardine dips the bread’ which is a very popular saying here, which refers to the amount of fat it has at that time”.
Something that does not surprise us seeing the success of the traveling empanadas that Pizarro makes and where, logically, the xouba sneaks in. The larger sardines, around 14 centimeters, They are usually the ones that are grilled. On the other hand, the small ones or xoubillas, usually go in the empanadas or fried.
“To fry I like parrochitas better, which are smaller, and you can eat them whole. For grilled, the largest sardine, which has more meat and more fat, and always in season “, he explains.
Similar opinions have Antonio Carame, chef at the Cadiz restaurant Arsenio Manila, who confesses “preferring the sardines that arrive from August, than are more loaded with fat and are more worked“In his case, the origin also marks the success:” the closer the market and the fish market are to the sea, the better.
For this reason, their preferences go to “in the case of Cádiz, to the markets of Rota or El Puerto de Santa María”. Municipalities aside, this chef from Cádiz is clear about the caliber. “I prefer the sardine manha, which is bigger than the parrochas, which are smaller, “he says.
Thus, roast and fried cultures merge, very typical in Andalusia, that is why it is a must to visit the province of Malaga. From Francis Muñoz, chef at El Parador Playa (Benalmádena), we made it clear that there is certain skewers that prefer a smaller caliber sardine.
“We always look for the tiny sardine, which here are called manolitas, which are small, somewhat larger than the palm of the hand, “he says. In his case, he always comes from local markets, although he warns that just a dozen miles is enough for the size or flavor to change.
In any case, when the premises are not available, he resorts to other markets. “We also bring them from Castellón or Valencia because they give the size and flavor the customer is used to,” he explains, thus justifying that the Sardine that is spit is usually smaller than the one that is roasted on the Galician grill.
Rafa Bedoya, cook of Bina Bar,, an elegant tavern with haute cuisine, in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) claims “the largest sardines, by the percentage of fat, best for grill and grill for that fat it contains “.
“The smallest ones I would use in marinades. Open them, remove the thorn and use it as if they were pickled anchovies, they are tiny, but they are good, and those little ones also go well fried “, he assures.
Regarding that fattening and origin of the sardine, it is clear to him. “The origin that I like the most, being from Cádiz, is the Gulf [de Cádiz] because we have good phytoplankton, a good diversity of diet and then the sardine season has delicious sardines, “he illustrates.
Regarding the scale and the best season, the logical thing: “Regarding the season, I have always heard that they are the months without erre, unlike seafood and like the rest of blue fish. In the summer months the waters are more hot, there is more plankton and they eat everything they can find, so they overfeed“, it indicates.
“They gain weight, they gain fat, they gain caliber and they make them tastier. For the grill, that excess fat from the large sardine will always be good for us. For me, by tradition of the chiringuitos having restaurant parents in the area from Rota and Cádiz,the way I like to cook it the most is is throw grilled sardines on a bed of salt and from there to the plate, “he concludes.
There is a good sardine tradition in Asturias, where Manuel Berganza, Executive chef of Grupo Azotea, has his heart and origin, although its cuisine spans Madrid, Seville and even Chiclana de la Frontera, where he is in charge of El Cuartel del Mar, and which we now catch on the phone on vacation in Bermeo.
De la sardina tells us that “as an Asturian I have always eaten more parrocha than a large sardine, It is a product that I love and I always have a dish on the menu with them. “In fact, it indicates that in Justa Rufina (the restaurant that they have opened this summer in Seville, on the terrace of the Radisson Collection Hotel) they have some with pickled mushrooms and smoked beets.
Of the uses he comments that “that the parrocha is ideal for frying, marinating, or pickling, As a trick, when we make them on the grill, I think that marking them after having previously placed the clean loins on the “blind” makes it easier to control the cooking of these thin loins, so they won’t dry out so much “.
On the other hand, he explains that “the larger summer ones are ideal grilled for the highest fat content “, recalling” that smell of grilled sardines on a summer night “.
Similar allusion recommends Gemma Garcia, from the Mannix restaurant (Campaspero, Valladolid), which considers “larger sizes for grill and skewers, but not gigantic either”. On the other hand, for smaller sizes, he advises the use “to marinate because the fatter you are, the more time you need to marinate and let him take salt. If I want that raw tone, the sardine better be small. ”
We propose a different attitude when what we prefer is to pickle sardines, which can either be battered or can be without any other addition. It is the example of the Italian sarde in saor, where onion and raisins are added, and where it is It is convenient that the sardine has a certain size.
From Italian winks we also draw certain things in conclusion, such as what he tells us Angelo Marino of Forneria Ballaro (Madrid) and Trattoria Pinsa Madre (Cádiz), serving in the first a plate of sardines as a starter.
“The sardine beccafic It is a stuffed sardine, which in this case is the Cantabrian medium-sized to small. We use it as a starter, that’s why the size, since they go two by two. Also, being small it cooks faster and when we fry it we also get to heat up the filling inside “, she explains.
Fabio Gasparini, chef at El Bacaro de Fabio, told us that “it has to be a juicy sardine, with fat, because we are going to fry it and then it must hold the pickle“, which is why the recipe is eminently summery.” They shouldn’t be very big sardines either, but with their fat, “he says.
More traditional is the proposal of pickles that makes Miguel Angel Alonso in La Bodeguita del Arte II (Madrid), where he works with bonito and mussel, but also some peculiarities such as sea bass, sea bream, salmon and, of course, sardine.
In this case, he recommends that the pickles be made with thicker sardines. “We prefer a larger sardine because it has more fat and thus we make the marinade less fat. In addition, as it has more fat and is larger, the marinade damages that product less“.
Different tessitura when we approach fried. “To make dishes such as grilled sardines we use parrocha that weighs between 12 and 24 grams and that it becomes smoother on the iron, it is done earlier, the product is less damaged and then we can qualify it as we do with cheek sauce “, explains the chef from Toledo.
The chef also thinks similarly Carlos Valentí, from the Hermanos Vinagre restaurant (Madrid), which “prefers a large sardine with a higher percentage of fat when we make it canned with the pickle because the result is better. It cooks better and I like its flavor and texture better, “he says.
The smaller caliber ones, which can even sometimes be consumed only without spines, “prefer to use them to make an empanada or similar recipes“, Explain.
It is a case similar to that which occurs in La Mamona de Aravaca, where they serve XL smoked sardine loins with ajoblanco. “The loin for this preparation is recommended to be of a very large to appreciate the meatiness and texture“, Explain David Borregán, executive chef of the group.
Furthermore, the fact dethinning by hand is easier when the fish is larger, Therefore, for this type of recipes it is better to use animals of greater caliber.
Images | iStock / La Mamona de Aravaca
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