Charcoal-grilled sardines

Grilled sardines with mixed salada. Photo by João Aires Neves

Few things are more Portuguese than grilled sardines in the Summer. Yes, it has to be in the Summer and if possible outdoors: in a esplanada, yard, patio or street party like the Santos Populares.

Sardines are to be grilled fresh in the Summer. They start showing up in markets and restaurants in the beginning of June, just in time for the ‘Santos Populares’: Santo António on June 10th, São João on June 23rd and São Pedro on June 29th.

The first suggestion is: if you want to grill them yourself, be brave, be bold, but be aware that it is not easy. It’s a skilled job and I have been trying it for 30 years and, still not quite there. Traditionally is a man’s job. Sexist, I know. Women boil the potatoes and make the salad and sit at the table while men grill the sardines, eyes hurting, and hair and clothes smelling of smoke and fish. And they are the last ones on the table! But that was before. Now it is a job for whoever is willing to do the sacrifice. Man, woman or gender neutral.

There is the perfect balance between keeping the heat of the brasas (embers) and stoping the dripping of the sardines starting new flames. Because flames are not welcome. Some assadores use a spray of water, some use ash. Do you still want to have a go? Great, read on.

Sardines in Praça da Quarteira. Photo by Filipe Gill

Like a good Netflix show, let’s travel back in time: you will start the day bright and early at the market. Is 7am to early for you? Not if you want to get the best sardines. They must be plump, shinny and smell of the sea, not bad fish. Keep them in ice until you get back. If you are doing big quantities, ask for a caixa de esferovite (styrofoam box) with ice. You buy sardines by the dozen, dúzia. So you can say, ‘quero duas dúzias de sardinhas, das boas’. Pay in cash. It is more traditional.

While you are at the market, get some tomatoes, lettuce, sweet onions, cucumber, potatoes, maize bread – broa de milho – and, very important, green and red peppers.

Now that you have accomplished this important task, give yourself a treat: um café e um pastel de nata if you fancy something sweet, or um pastel de bacalhau, croquete ou empada if you fancy something savoury.

Go home and put the sardines in the fridge until grilling time. This is the time to throw in some coarse sea salt, if the fishmonger hasn’t done so. Check, so you don’t double salt.

After a couple of hours reading the paper, you can start the prepping: make the salad: sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced sweet onion. Season with olive oil, sea salt and a touch of wine vinegar. Wash the potatoes and put them in a large pan with cold water. Please keep the skin on: saves peeling, more fibre and more tradition.

Meanwhile get the grill going. Use good vegetable charcoal, easily available in shops and supermarkets. Start with the kindling using wood or paper. Put the charcoal on top and get going with the important task of getting oxigen in the fire using a abanador, an important utensil that looks like a ladies fan. Once you get the fire going, get yourself a beer. You deserve it.

Let the fire turn into embers. This is the time to get the peppers in there. Grilled them until they are black and remove form the fire. Get the black skin out, wash it and get rid of the inner white membrane and seeds. Once you have this glorious chuncks of shinny green and red peppers, cut them in thin strips and put them in a earthenware bowl. Season with olive oil and sea salt. Put it on the table and feel good about this first achievement. But, no rest for the wicked: get the potatoes boiling until they are soft ma non tropo. You do not want mashed potatoes.

Back to the grill and time to put the sardines on, head side to the middle where the fire is stronger. Make sure the fire is hot, so they don’t stick to the grill, but not to much because you want to cook them thoroughly. It should take 4 to 5 minutes in each side.

Put them in a large earthenware dish and proudly present to your family and friends.

On the plate, put a thin slice of broa de milho – you should know by now what it is – and put a couple of sardines on top. The juices from the fish will slightly soak the bread for your final treat. Meanwhile help yourself of potatoes, salad and grilled peppers. Despite the red eyes and smoky clothes, you will feel a quiet satisfaction of being a “assador de sardinhas”! Not a mean feat.

Enjoy with good Vinho Verde. Something with Alvarinho and Loureiro, for example.

The next time you go to a restaurant or party to eat sardines, you will pass by the assador, grill person, and wink. You know what they are going through…

Suggested music:

Povo que cais descalço, Dead Combo

In this track, Dead Combo explores the sound of fado in a contemporary way and, for me, it works really well. Their music was the soundtrack for Anthony Bourdaine’s, No Reservation, when he was in Portugal for the first time.