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Tunisia · Sardines

Tunisian Grilled Sardines with Harissa

Sardine Mechouia

In the harbor towns of Tunisia, from Mahdia to Bizerte, fresh sardines go straight onto the charcoal, brushed with a little harissa, garlic and cumin, and come off smoky and blistered with a squeeze of lemon.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 10 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Inacio Pires / Adobe Stock
Served with: Tunisian Grilled Pepper Salad ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the harissa oil

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Mina Harissa · Amazon ↗

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Method

Step by step, the way it is done there.

  1. Clean. Rinse the sardines, pat them very dry and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Leave them 10 minutes.
  2. Mix the harissa oil. Stir together the harissa, garlic, cumin, caraway, olive oil and lemon juice.
  3. Brush. Brush the sardines lightly inside and out with half of the harissa oil.
  4. Grill. Grill over hot charcoal (or a very hot grill pan) 2–3 minutes per side, until the skin blisters and the flesh comes off the bone. Use a fish basket if you have one.
  5. Serve. Brush with the rest of the harissa oil, scatter the parsley and serve with lemon wedges, slata mechouia and bread.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Tunisian Grilled Pepper Salad
Tunisia

Tunisian Grilled Pepper Salad

Slata Mechouia

Peppers, tomatoes and onion charred on the grill, chopped with garlic, caraway and olive oil. Tunisia sets it beside almost every grilled fish.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 4 green peppers (Anaheim or Italian frying peppers)
  • 1–2 hot green chilies
  • 3 ripe tomatoes
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp ground caraway
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Tuna, hard-boiled egg and olives, to top (optional)

How to make it

  1. Char. Grill the peppers, chilies, tomatoes and onion over high heat until blackened all over.
  2. Steam and peel. Close them in a bowl under a plate 10 minutes, then peel off the skins and remove the seeds.
  3. Chop. Chop everything fine with the garlic (or pound it in a mortar).
  4. Season. Mix in the caraway, coriander, salt, olive oil and lemon. Top with tuna, egg and olives if you like.

More ways to cook Sardines

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Lisbon, PortugalLisbon Charcoal-Grilled Sardines
El Palo, Málaga, SpainMálaga Beach Sardine Skewers
Palermo, Sicily, ItalyPalermo Pasta with Sardines and Fennel