Salty, sweet, and fried

Sardines, why would you want to eat them? Well first of because they are really good for you. I don’t really want to dwell on that too much, but you can look it up, Alton brown does a good Job of explaining it in the, Diet plan episode( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdK8YLfJHYk) the point is, there are a lot of ingredients out there that people tend to shy away from, generally because they are considered unappetizing, Brussel sprouts, radishes, shell fish, and sardines to name a few, if you happen to like all of these things, then props to you. 

 Most of the time it isn’t that people don’t like these things, it’s that they have never had it prepared well, and don’t know how to prepare it themselves. They key is understanding how the flavors work, and what to pare with them. Sardines, are very salty, and fishy, if you get them packaged in oil instead of water that helps, as the oil helps to mellow the fishiness a little, and you can use it to cook in. Second this means avoiding salty things to put with it, like soy sauce, and yes even bacon. Then add an acid like lemon to further help cut through that fishy flavor by complementing it, you can never go wrong with lemon and fish. The most important thing is to keep it light, you want to elevate the sardine, not try to bury it, if you try to hid it behind deep rich flavors, it will just test like you sprinkled dashi powder on your meat loaf, Yuck! By sticking with bright acidic flavors you can turn this little fish into something delicious.

Alright now that that is out of the way, we can get to the fun stuff. Here is what I did. The inspiration for this dish was actually some wonton wrappers I had in my fridge, left over from a batch of my stir fry wraps (found here http://theforkandeasel.blogspot.com/2014/04/stir-fry-wantons.html) I didn’t want them to go to waste, so I had to use them. Next I spotted a can of sardines in the pantry. This sounded like it had potential, so I pooled my knowledge and experience and came up with these little wonton Tacos.

First I got some oil heating for frying, I shredded some purple cabbage, and ju  I then cooked some asparagus on my skillet and started frying my wonton wrappers, I used an aluminum foil mold to get them to look like taco shells. Once my shells were finished, I then went to my sardines, I did my sardines last for two reasons, one the need to spend the least amount of time on the heat, and require the most attention. Two they are my only component that I intend to serve warm, therefore they are the most time sensitive. I simple put them on the heat and let them develop a slight char on the skin, don’t worry if they fall apart a little in the process.

lienned some carrots, then strained the sardines, making sure to save the oil. To the oil I add lemon juice and cilantro, and mixed it in with the cabbage and carrots. While my cast iron skillet heat on the stove. I made a quick spicy mayo, and a teriyaki sauce, which I made extra sweet to balance the sardines.

To assemble I took the sardine right of the grill and stuffed my shells, I spooned a little spicy mayo onto that, then filled them the rest of the way with my cabbage salad. I finished them by dazzling the teriyaki on top.

I think if there is anything I am trying to say with this post, it’s this, don’t be afraid of the ingredients, there really are very few bad ingredients, you just need to know how they work.  I hope that this has given you some ideas, and has gotten you excited to go out and try something a little bit different.