To Buy:
Buy fresh sardines whole or filleted. Whole sardines should be firm with heads attached and stomachs intact. There should also be a pleasant, fresh smell. Pilchards can also be purchased butterflied.
Canned sardines are also available - buy them in springwater to reduce fat content.
To Store:
Wrap whole fish or fillets in plastic wrap or put in an airtight container. Keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Tips & Tricks:
Scale, clean and gut. To butterfly, break head from body and then run thumb down stomach cavity; gut will just come away. Press open flat on a board and remove bones if desired. Smaller species can be served whole, but do need to be scaled and gutted.
A serve of sardines is equal to about four sardines.
Cooking Tips:
An oily fish best suited to grilling, baking or barbecuing. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon parsley and black pepper.