Todays is Ash Wednesday, the end of Carnival, and in many parts of our country this is celebrated with a ceremony called the “Burial of the Sardine”. These “burials” usually consist in parades and parodies of funeral processions. It symbolically means, take out the old, and bring in the new!
With the end of Carnaval, ‘el dimecres de cendra’ or ‘miércoles de ceniza’, the “fun times” are buried because it is now la ‘Quaresma’, Lent – a time of fasting and praying. The sardina is a symbol which reminds the people that now they will be eating fish instead of meat. (Catholics still observe the tradition of not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays during Lent).
Let us suggest a delicious tapa made with sardines from an awesome book called ‘Tapes Barcelona’
Chargrilled sardines with garlic and parsley
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 12 medium-sized sardines
- 1 garlic glove
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- olive oil
- coarse salt
Method
Sprinkle the sardines generously with coarse salt and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes. Then rinse them under running water and remove the innards. Descale the sardines only if the scales are thick.
Peel and chop the garlic. Wash the parlsey, dry with kitchen paper and finely chop.
Grill the sardines over embers, on a hot plate or in a griddle pan with a few drops of olive oil for 2 minutes on each side.
Season with a pinch of salt and add the chopped garlic and parsley. Grill for a further 30 seconds and remove from the heat. Serve immediately.
I hope you enjoy this delicious tapa!
Would you like to discover more yummy tapas?
You can find TAPAS BARCELONA book that we sell in our shop. And join us to cook them at our cooking classes in Barcelona!
