Aishling Moore: How to make delicious Sardine rillette with piccalilli

Sardine rillette with piccalilli: Picture Chani Anderson

This weekend I’m sharing two simple recipes that complement each other wonderfully.

A handy sardine rillette makes the most of a couple of tins of sardines that I had stashed in the back of the press. Preserved in handsome peppery olive oil, I picked these up on my last trip to Lisbon.

I haven’t gone to the trouble of removing any of the bones, simply drained the excess oil from the tin and flaked the fillets with a fork for lovely rough-textured mix.

Remove the bones if you wish and you can whizz up the drained sardines in a food processor if you would prefer a finer texture, which would be closer to a pate than a rillette.

Any such recipe with so few components relies on the quality ingredients, so choose the best preserved fish you can get your hands on.

This method would also work well with tinned mackerel, just make sure to choose fish in olive oil rather than brine for this application.

This classic piccalilli recipe is a fine accompaniment to serve with any dish that’s high in fat. The vinegared crunchy vegetables cut right through the naturally oily sardines.

It’s a brilliant preserve to have in the fridge, excellent with grilled or cured meats, the ultimate filling for a cheese sandwich and is great served with a whole host of tinned fish or conservas.

I have used cauliflower, carrot, fennel and gherkins here, but you may add and omit as you wish; it’s a recipe that can be adapted as you move through the seasons; add some chopped runner beans in the summer and chunks of celeriac in the winter.

Piccalilli is best served at room temperature, so get it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend on serving.

Sardine rillette with piccalilli

recipe by:Aishling Moore

This classic piccalilli recipe is a fine accompaniment to serve with any dish that’s high in fat. The vinegared crunchy vegetables cut right through the naturally oily sardines.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the sardine rillette

• 2x 90g tins of sardines in olive oil

• 40g unsalted butter (at room

• temperature)

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1 tbsp golden rapeseed oil

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Sea salt flakes

• For the piccalilli

• 50g salt

• 250ml water (boiling)

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets

• 150ml apple cider vinegar

• 50g brown sugar

• 1 tsp mustard powder

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 carrot, peeled and diced

• 1 bulb of fennel, core removed and diced

• 160g large gherkins, diced

• To serve

• 1 tbsp chopped dill

Method

1. For the Piccalilli

2. Dissolve the salt in a medium-sized bowl using the boiling water and pour over the cauliflowerflorets.

3. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the florets to keep them submerged under the brine.

4. Leave to sit for 30 minutes until completely cooled.

5. Strain and discard the brine.

6. Place a large wide based pot on a medium high heat.

7. Add the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder and turmeric powder and whisk to remove any lumps.

8. Add the drained cauliflowerflorets, diced carrot, onion and fennel.

9. Switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon and toss to coat in the vinegar and spice mixture.

10. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the vinegar has reduced and thevegetables are just cooked,retaining their shape with acrunchy texture.

11. Stirring all the time to prevent the base from catching.

12. Add the diced gherkins and mix well to combine.

13. Remove from the heat and place in sterilised glass jars. Store in the refrigerator.

14. Add freshly chopped dill when serving.

15. For the sardine rillette

16. Drain the olive oil from thesardines and reserve for another use.

17. Place the sardines in a small bowl and flake apart using a fork.

18. In a separate bowl, combine the finely diced shallot and room temperature butter.

19. Add the flaked sardines to this mixture and fold through.

20. Add the lemon zest, golden rapeseed oil and season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.

21. Serve with crusty break or crackers and some homemade piccalilli.

Fish Tales

Choose sardines in olive oil rather than brine for superior texture and flavour.

Reserve the olive oil from the tinned sardines and keep to use in salad dressings or pasta sauces. Store in the refrigerator.

Use a food processor to break apart the sardines instead of using a fork.

Ensure the unsalted butter is at room temperature for the rillette.

The rillette can be made a day or two in advance, however it’s really important to serve at room temperature.

For the piccalilli, it’s important to have all the vegetables prepared before you start cooking.