Espetos Recipe – Andalucia’s Tasty Grilled Sardines

As soon as spring starts we know that the sunny days are here to stay. This means spending more time in your backyard and turning the fire on your grill.

That is why we brought you the Espetos recipe, which is one of the best sardine recipes and an easy one if you aren’t a master of the grill yet. 

Put on sunscreen and get ready to go out to the garden to cook!

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In this article, we will show you how to prepare sardines, what substitutions you can make in the ingredients, and some key tips that will facilitate the making of the recipe.

Background of the Dish

Espeto comes from the verb “espetar” which consists of nailing the fish to a rod to grill it.

That cane is traditionally stuck in the sand, and in a boat on the beach bars.

The espeto began to be made at the time of the moragas, which are still celebrated in Malaga.

There are parties that take place at night on the beach where fish is eaten after being grilled in this way.

This practice dates back to the 19th century and is a classic of the Easter, spring, and summer beach parties.

Keep reading and we will tell you how to eat sardines and much more about this particular dish. 

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Things You’ll Need for Espetos

To make the best sardines, AKA the espetos recipe, you will only need a nice grill and a few ingredients.

As it happens with other sardines recipes, the spotlight always goes to the sardines, so you will see later in this article all the replacements that you can make to the ingredients. 

Ingredients

• 8 sardines
• 8 skewers
• 2 lemons
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• ½ tablespoon of chopped rosemary
• ½ tablespoon chopped green olives
• ½ tablespoon chopped capers
• ½ cup (140g) coarse salt
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

How to Make Espetos – Step by Step Guide

1. To start with this grilled sardines recipe the first thing you need to do is to soak the skewers in cold water for half an hour. This will help to prevent them from burning when exposed to fire.
2. After that, grate a lemon and take a tablespoon of that zest. Mix with the parsley, garlic, rosemary, olives, and capers on a deep plate.
3. Preheat the grill to high heat. In the meantime pierce each sardine, going through its entire body with each skewer.
4. Then place the sardines on a baking tray, or use a special grill for fish.
5. Season the sardines, cover them in coarse salt, and add olive oil.
6. Place the sardines on the fire for no more than 3 minutes. Both sides of the fish must receive heat, so you have to turn them halfway through.
7. For the final step, remove the grilled sardines from the heat and pour the previously prepared mixture of herbs into them.

Substitution of Ingredients

When it comes to the substitutions of the ingredients, you can make as many as you can think of, and you can put on your skewers other types of fish or seafood if you can’t find fresh sardines.

You can check other recipes for sardines and use ingredients from them in this one.

Like adding some cherry tomatoes or green bell peppers to the skewers. You can also use any type of seasoning of your choice. 

As well as it happens with other fresh sardine recipes, technically you could replace the fresh sardines with the canned ones, but the flavor won’t be nearly as good.

They taste fine, but fresh is always better.

Andalucia is an ocean of delicious recipes and if you want to have another taste of the Southern Spain, we encourage you to try the Flamenquines Cordobeses as well.

Tips on Serving Espetos

There are thousands of ways to eat sardines, and you can choose your favorite one based on your personal taste. However, here we will show you the best way to eat sardines. 

If you want to have an authentic Andalusian meal, you can serve these grilled sardines with a small bowl of gazpacho, since the tomato flavor goes really well with the sardines. 

You can also serve them with a Mediterranean salad, which is usually paired with other seafood recipes and another tip is to serve it next to a glass of summer red wine.

You can try the Spanish sardines pasta, the grilled mackerel, or the baked Spanish mackerel fillet if you want another recipe with fish. 

You can have a Spanish feast and have some inspiration for your next dinner party with our recipes. 

Prepare a large variety of tapas such as chicken croquettes, albondigas, and some tortilla de patatas.

For the main course, you can try the chicken stew or seafood stew, and together with Spanish cheesecake, you’ll give your guests a dinner to remember. 

How to Store Espetos

If you are following this espetos recipe, then the best thing you can do is to eat them the same day as you made them.

Fish always taste better fresh, and sardines tend to turn bitter with time.

However, you can store these espetos in the fridge for up to 3 days and eat them whenever you want.

You can’t freeze Spanish sardines after you grill them because they will spoil. 

Recipe Card: Espetos

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