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Baked Sardines is an easy, quick and very tasty Italian fish recipe that captures all the goodness of fresh fish prepared with simple ingredients.It consists of a casserole dish with layers of sardines topped with breadcrumbs, parmigiano, parsley, thyme and pine nuts. It's a recipe that skillfully combines the flavors of the sea with those of the Mediterranean!
Place one sardine at a time on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to cut open the belly and remove the guts, then cut off the head and finally the backbone. Gently remove the spine down to the tail.
Rinse them under running water, then open them, taking care not to break the sardines, and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Set aside.
In a small blender, chop the garlic clove, parsley, and thyme. Start the blender and coarsely chop the ingredients without reducing them to a pulp.
Pour the chopped mixture into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano cheese and EVO oil. Mix everything together.
Grease the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the sardines horizontally in one layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Top with the chopped breadcrumb, garlic, parsley and thyme mixture you prepared earlier.
Arrange another layer of sardines, taking care to arrange them in the opposite direction to the first layer.
Season moderately with salt and pepper and cover the entire surface with more aromatic breadcrumbs. PLEASE NOTE: If you wish, and if you have sardines left over, you can make a third layer. We recommend making a maximum of 3 layers and no more. Otherwise the sardines will not cook properly.
Finish with more flavored breadcrumbs, a drizzle of EVO oil and the pine nuts on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving this Italian-style baked sardines casserole.