Sardines with tomato sauce in the indirect wood-fired oven

Sardines, like any other fish, should be fresh. Clean the fish, as shown in the video; cut off the head, discard the guts and gently rinse under the tap. Place the sardines inside a shallow clay baking tray. At this point, we should point out that cooking in a clay baking tray is better because heat is transferred at many wavelengths throughout the clay vessel, for slow and homogeneous cooking. Continue with grating tomatoes on the largest holes of a grater and remove their skin. Slice the onions and cut in smaller pieces. Garlic should be finely chopped and parsley coarsely chopped.

Cover the sardines, which have been placed side by side inside the tray, with the grated tomatoes. Make sure they are fully covered. Add onion, garlic, and parsley. You could mix salt, pepper, and oregano with the grated tomato before adding it to the sardines. This way, the spices will be evenly spread. Thinly slice ½ long green hot pepper for a mildly spicy sardine dish (optional). 

Now you’re ready to cook.

Before preparing the ingredients, you should preheat the wood-fired oven. You’ll need dry hardwoods with 5-6 cm diameter. Place wood and kindling inside the oven’s lower chamber, as shown in the video. When all the pieces of wood are burning inside the oven’s chamber, prepare the sardines for cooking. When the temperature is around 200 ⁰C (392 ⁰F) and the pieces of wood turn into embers, it’s time to put the baking tray with the sardines inside the indirect wood-fired oven.  In a well-built indirect wood-fired oven, the temperature will drop slow and steadily. This way we slow-cook food which is the second factor that will alter the final result. It takes patience. One hour and a half or a bit longer is necessary. Food tastes a lot better if the temperature drops slower. It’s crucial not to add more wood that will cause the temperature to rise. This will spoil the taste of our dish.

Remove from the oven, when there is only oil inside the vessel and water. At this point, you’ll get the most out of this dish, in terms of flavor. Combine with white wine or beer, and with good friends as always.

Happy cooking to everyone!