Pan Fried Portuguese Sardines over Roasted Red Potatoes & Mixed Salad Greens

Put aside every negative thought you've ever had about sardines.  These beautiful whole sardines from Portugal were delicious served with roasted potatoes over mixed salad greens.  I played the Mediterranean flavor profile heavily on this dish and added capers, Mediterranean seasonings and lots of garlic and lemon.

This was a lovely meal and I will be searching for new ways to use these little fish!  The colors were so vibrant on a cold, gray day.  It felt like a little bit of the Mediterranean was in my kitchen!

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch wide wedges

5 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 t. Kosher salt, divided

Cooking spray

4 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. minced shallots

1/4 t. smoked paprika

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 t. Italian Seasoning or Mediterranean Seasoning blend

1 - 2 pounds whole sardines (OR you can substitute 2 (4.5 oz.) cans of oil packed sardines)

5 oz. of mixed salad greens

3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

2 T. capers, drained

Lemon Wedges

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly spray a baking sheet.  Combine potatoes, 1 T. olive oil and 3/8 t. salt on the baking sheet and toss to coat the potatoes. Sprinkle with either Mediterranean Seasoning blend or Italian Seasoning.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Stir potatoes and bake an additional 12 - 15 minutes until potatoes are tender and golden brown.  

Combine 2 T. olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, paprika, garlic and 1/4 t. salt in a large bowl, whisking until well combined.  Add hot potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Pat sardines dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining 3/8 t. salt.  Add remaining 2 T. oil to the skillet, swirl to coat.  Add sardines to the pan, cooking 3 minutes per side or until crisp and done.

At this point you may either plate individual servings, or mound all the ingredients on a large platter and serve family style.

Place salad greens on the bottom of the plate or platter, add tomatoes and capers, spoon over potatoes and then top with cooked sardines.  

Add a few grinds of black pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Adapted from Cooking Light September 2012