Sardines with black pepper

Ingredients

16 fresh sardines
1 handful fine breadcrumbs, toasted
1 handful of freshly crushed black pepper
200g/7¼oz plain flour
3 eggs, beaten with a little salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
For the salsa
5 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
6 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 handful pitted black olives, sliced
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. To make the salsa, finely chop the garlic and fry it in five tablespoons of olive oil,
2. Add the tomatoes and olives, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook for three to four minutes.
3. At the end add the chopped basil and allow the sauce to cool.
4. In the meantime, mix the breadcrumbs and black pepper together on a plate.
5. Clean the sardines by removing the head, spine and insides.
6. Dust the sardines in the flour, dip in the beaten egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs.
7. Fry them in a frying pan in hot olive oil for approximately two minutes each side then remove and place on some kitchen roll, allowing the excess oil to drain.
8. To prepare the dish, serve four sardines overlapping each other around the plate and place one to two tablespoons of cold salsa in the middle.
9. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the fish and serve immediately.