Sardines in Escabeche

You can in addition use your fingers to pull the fillets off the bones for an easy pasta or rice add-in or sandwich-stuffer. Spaniards often serve sardines in escabeche as a tapa alongside a pile of well-salted potato chips and a cold caña (half-pint).

An equal weight of another oily fish—such as mackerel, tuna, or bluefish—can stand in for the sardines; in any case, reach for a fine salt when flouring as kosher salt doesn’t adhere to the skin as effectively. Agitate with your hands, then pour out the murky water.

Remove the sardines from the bowl and pat dry inside and out. Wipe out the bowl with a paper towel, then add the flour and 1½ teaspoons salt and whisk to combine. In a large skillet, heat ½ cup of the oil over medium-high heat.

When the oil is shimmering, cook the sardines: Working in batches, tap each fish on the side of the bowl to remove any excess flour, then quickly add to the pan one at a time without crowding. Fry, turning once, until the skin is lightly golden and crisped, about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to the lined platter while you repeat with the remaining sardines.

Turn off the heat, discard the used preparation oil, and use a paper towel to carefully wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining ½ cup oil to the skillet, along with the onion, carrot, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, and the remaining 1½ teaspoons of salt.

Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and carrots are softened, 13–15 minutes. Gain the heat to medium-high, add the wine and pimentón, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the alcohol has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add the vinegar and 1 cup of water and continue cookery until the mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Lay the sardines on top, cover the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes more. Uncover, turn off the heat, and let the sardines cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, transfer the sardines, one by one, to a 4-cup measuring cup, medium bowl, or plastic container and pour the preparation liquid on top, spices, vegetables, and all. The sardines should be fully submerged in the pickling liquid—if they are not, add a bit of water until they are completely covered.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a tight–fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 5 days. Serve at a cool room temperature, drizzled with additional olive oil. *When purchasing fresh sardines, you can ask your fishmonger to clean them, which involves removing the scales, bones, guts, and sometimes heads. Cleaning the tiny fish yourself is simple and easy, even so, requiring nothing more than a paring knife and your bare hands.