Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe.
Appetizer or main course.
Each Sicilian city has its own recipe; some make it in a roll, while in Messina, we offer them as sandwiches with a very tasty filling in the middle.
Mmm… how delicious they are, and you can’t stop at just one. How many times have we eaten them, only to stop because they were fried. Well, today I offer them both fried, baked, and air-fried. This way, you have plenty of choices depending on your preferences and dietary needs.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven, Frying, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 812.24 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 63.93 (g) of which sugars 7.83 (g)
- Proteins 55.35 (g)
- Fat 38.10 (g) of which saturated 5.90 (g)of which unsaturated 12.84 (g)
- Fibers 4.29 (g)
- Sodium 942.15 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 251 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s do the shopping
- 1.76 lbs sardines
- 3 1/4 cups breadcrumbs (seasoned Sicilian style, see recipe)
- 3.5 oz caciocavallo cheese (or provolone)
- 1 sprig wild fennel
- 1 oz pine nuts (toasted)
- 1 oz raisins (soaked)
- 2 eggs
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe.
Tools
What we need to make the
- Colander
- Knife
- Bowl
- 2 Small Bowls
- Plate
- Pan
- The oven
Preparation: Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe
First, we fillet the sardines, or buy them already filleted.
We wash them and let them drain in a colander.
While they drain, we will prepare the seasoned Sicilian breadcrumbs, click here for the recipe.
We take 1/3 and set it aside for breading.
We put the rest in a bowl, to which we add the previously soaked raisins, pine nuts already toasted in a small pan for a few minutes, and the wild fennel finely chopped.
To the mixture, we will add 3 tablespoons of EVO oil, and as much water as needed to make the mixture like a meatball.
Now we cut the caciocavallo into very small cubes.
We divide the amount of anchovies in half, and spread the first half on a work surface, skin side down. On each sardine, we will put a little filling and a little caciocavallo.
with another sardine we will cover it as if it were a sandwich.
We beat the eggs and put the rest of the breadcrumbs we had set aside on a plate.
We pass the stuffed sardines first in the egg, making it penetrate well, then in the breadcrumbs pressing well until it adheres on all sides.
Cooking:
Tradition has them fried in hot EVO oil for 2 minutes on each side and dried on a sheet of absorbent paper.
But to make them even lighter, I recommend a strong and quick cooking in the oven.
Preheat to 392°F, place the fish on a baking sheet with parchment paper and a drizzle of oil, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
Then take them out and bring them to the table while still hot.
Here Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe is ready.
for air fryer cooking, place the beccafico in your appliance’s drawer, spray the oil, and follow the instructions. First the preheating, then cook them for 15 minutes at 392°F. But turn them halfway through cooking.
Storage and Tips
Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe. This dish can be stored either raw or cooked, in the fridge for up to 2 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you want an even more complete recipe, I recommend preparing a good tomato sauce and dipping them for 5 minutes before serving.
Sardines Beccafico Messinese Recipe.
Can I use anchovies instead of sardines?
Yes, certainly.
