Sardines Tangier Style

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

  • Eight sardines
  • Two tablespoons coriander leaf chopped
  • Two tablespoons flat parsley leaves chopped
  • Two teaspoons cumin seeds
  • Four garlic cloves, peeled
  • Two teaspoons sweet paprika
  • Half teaspoon chilli flakes
  • Two tablespoons lemon juice
  • One to two tablespoons olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Flour for dusting
  • Olive oil for frying and brushing
  • Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

Rinse the sardines in cold water. Slit open the bellies lengthways and remove innards and back bones. You may use a pair of scissors to snip out the bones near the head and tail. Pat the fish dry.

Place the coriander and parsley in a mortar or small food processer and render to a fine texture. Add the cumin seeds, garlic and a pinch of salt and continue to render or crush to a thick puree. Add in the paprika, chilli flakes and lemon juice and mix. Add in a little olive oil to make a slightly runny mixture. Smear the mixture all over the sardines and fold them shut to assume their original shape. Chill on a plate for 1 hour.

Heat oil in deep fat fryer to 180 degree celsius. dust the sardines with flour and fry until crisp and golden. You may to need to gently flip them over during the cooking. Drain on kitchen paper. Brush very lightly with olive oil and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Salad of oranges, dates and mint

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

  • Orange blossom water

  • Five oranges

  • 12 dates

  • Honey

  • Mint

  • Pomegranate seeds

Method:

This is a lovely refreshing salad. You can find good quality dates in most shops, mint in the garden or shop. If you cannot find mint, you can substitute for pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the top. You can serve this on its own with a little yoghurt or with vanilla Ice cream.

Remove the zest from one of the oranges with a fine grater or a micro plane. Juice the zested orange. With a sharp knife, remove the skin and pith from the remaining oranges. Slice or segment the oranges and add to the juice and zest with the honey. Halve the dates lengthways, remove the stones and add to the oranges. Sprinkle on the orange flower water. Chop the mint leaves and gently mix all of the ingredients together, being careful not to break up the orange pieces. If using the pomegranate, add now. Cover and chill before serving.

Compote of apricots with saffron and pistachios, mint and labneh

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 100g dried apricots
  • A pinch of saffron
  • 25g caster sugar
  • Juice of two freshly squeezed oranges
  • One or two teaspoons orange blossom water
  • 20 gram pistachios coarsely chopped
  • Drizzle of honey, optional
  • Eight mint leaves, torn or chopped just before serving

Method:

Place dried apricots in a bowl and cover generously with cold water. Refrigerate it overnight to swell and become plump.

Next day, strain off and discard the soaking water. The soaking water can be used instead of a syrup in a homemade lemonade. Place the apricots in a saucepan and add saffron, caster sugar and the orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cover. Poach at a gentle until the fruit is tender. This can take up to 45 minutes. Add the orange blossom water to taste. Allow to cool and chill.

Serve the chilled apricots scattered with the chopped pistachios, mint, plenty of the delicious cooking juice and a dollop of labneh.