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Chilli Stuffed Sardines

​I was brought up eating quite a bit of tinned fish, mainly because fresh fish was so expensive when I was a child. Because of this, I’m partial to tinned sardines and pilchards. I know it sounds a bit retro but you get an intense flavour from tinned sardines, which works perfectly with the piquancy of the chilli. You could make a vegetarian version of this dish using a mix of beans instead of the sardines. 

Extracted from ‘Sunshine on a Plate’

Ingredients

15 large long chillies such as Californian green chillies
2x120g tins sardines in sunflower oil, drained
1 banana shallot finely chopped
1 red bird's eye chilli finely chopped
1 spring onion finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

​1. Preheat the oven to 200’C/gas 6 

2. Carefully slit the chillies along one side and remove the seeds with a knife

3. Place the drained sardines in a bowl and add all the other ingredients. Mix together until you have a coarse paste. Use this mixture to stuff the inside ofthe chillies, being careful not to split the chillies as you want them to keep their shape. 

4. Put the chillies on a roasting tray and place in the oven for around 12 minutes. Serve Immediately.

 

VEGETARIAN VARIATION:

Replace the sardines with 50g cooked kidney beans and 50g cooked borlotti beans. Mash the beans slightly before mixing with the other ingredients. Continue as above.