Ingredients

• 16 fresh sardines, scaled and cleaned, with the heads left on
•   sea salt, for sprinkling
•   plain flour, for coating
•   vegetable oil, for frying
•   fresh flatleaf parsley sprigs, to garnish

Method

1. Place the sardines in a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt; cover and leave for 1 hour.
2. Wash the sardines thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper. Coat in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat 5cm/2in oil in a medium frying pan, then add the sardines and fry for about 3 minutes on each side, depending on size, until golden.
3. Remove the sardines from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper, then garnish with parsley sprigs.