Grilled Sardines Greek-style

4.67 from 6 votes

Grilled Sardines Greek-style flavored with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and oregano. Super simple, speedy, and easy to make on the Bbq or grill pan!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Fish, grilled, healthy

Servings:

Calories: 921kcal

Ingredients

For The Sardines:

600 grams (1.3 pound) whole fresh sardines
3 tablespoons olive oil
⅔ teaspoon kosher salt
dried oregano to serve with
lemon quarters to serve with

For The Lemon Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Prepare The Sardines:

Place the sardines in a bowl with very cold water. And allow them to soak for 20 minutes. This will help firm their skin so it won't break as you clean them.
With your hands (the tip of your thumb) gently rub the skin to remove any scales, if there are any. If not, skip this. If you want to gut the fish see note 1 below.
Rinse the sardines well. Then place on a plate and into the fridge for 1 hour uncovered.

Prepare The Lemon Dressing:

Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk until it thickens. Or add in a pipping bottle if you have one.

Grill The Sardines:

Heat a grill pan, griddle, or bbq on high. Brush the grates with oil.
Pat dry the sardines with paper towels. Then drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the salt on top. Gently mix so the oil and salt spread all over.
Once your cooking surface if very hot (this is important so the fish won't stick), start to add the fish to it. If cooking on a bbq you may need to adjust the heat to medium or even medium-low. Sardines tend to flame up due to their fat content.
Cook the sardines for 2 minutes on high or 5-6 minutes on medium before flipping them.
To flip a sardine use cooking thongs (preferably flat ones), and gently grab hold of it from its head. Its body is very delicate and will easily fall apart if you try to hold it from there. If you have removed the heads you may want to try flipping them with a spatula or grab hold of them from their tail.
Cook for 3 minutes more on high or 6-7 minutes on medium.
Add sardines to a plate, shake or stir the lemon dressing to become uniform again if it has separated, and pour it all over the fish. Sprinkle some dried oregano on top and serve with a few pieces of lemon on the side.

Notes

Note 1: When it comes to sardines, gutting isn't necessary. Because it's such a small and delicate fish the less it is handled the better. Plus, its innards don't give an unpleasant taste like anchovies for example where their innards are bitter tasting, therefore, need to be removed. If you do want to gut the sardines you can do so by making a small incision with a knife on the belly right after the head. And gently pull out the innards.

Nutrition