Tinned Sardine Croquettes with cheats tartar sauce |

My good pal Johnny brought these beautiful Sardines back from his holiday and I wanted doing something fancy without having to pop to the shops. This was the result.

I took my inspiration from this recipe:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/21/sardines-recipes-croquetas-bruschetta-hash-indian-chutney

Makes 10 | time 50 minutes

Prep 10 minutes | Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients

Croquettes

2 tin sardines in oil (keep the oil)
30g unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
30g plain flour
200ml hot whole milk
A good pinch of paprika
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
75g breadcrumbs (i used panko)
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying

Cheat tartare sauce

I made this up when i couldn’t find the right ingredients but it was really nice.
1 large gherkin, diced
1 tbsp pickled jalepenos, diced
1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp coriander, chopped (keep a few leaves for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Part one

On a low to medium heat, sweat the onions in the sardine oil until translucent.
Stir in the flour until the mixture is a dark gold (like a strong cup of tea).
Add the milk gradually a bit at a time. Ensuring that all the milk is absorbed before adding more.
Let this cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or so to thicken up, seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
Drop in the sardines and break them into small chunks up with your (you don’t want a sardine mush). Cover with a plate or foil while it the mixture cools.

Part two

Combine the breadcrumbs and cheese and pop in a shallow bowl. Beat the egg in another shallow bowl.
Heat your pan and add oil (try to avoid using Extra Virgin olive oil as it has a low smoke point). I used a small saucepan for this and shallow fried the croquettes, however you would ideally deep fry. If you are frying in a saucepan pan on the hob I would use a thermometer to try and get as close to 180C / 350F as you can.
Shape the cooled sardine mixture into cylinders and roll in the egg then the breadcrumbs.

Part three

Drop the croquettes the oil carefully and cook for about 2 minutes ensuring that they cook even all over.
I would do one or two at the time – too many and it will bring down the temperature of the oil and they won’t cook properly. I aim for a dark gold colour.
Leave them on a paper towel to dry off the grease.

Part four

For the sauce add all in the ingredients and mix well, season to taste.
Serve in a bowl with the sauce – try to wait until they’ve cooled before you eat them.