Description

Want to make tasty smoked sardines at home? This recipe blends old-world smoking techniques with modern kitchen convenience. Beginners and seasoned cooks will find it easy to follow.

You can create tender, flavorful sardines with a golden finish right on your stovetop. The recipe needs basic ingredients and kitchen equipment that’s already available in most homes.

Ingredients

Scale

20–30 fresh sardines
4 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup honey
1 medium onion, grated
5 medium bay leaves
2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons wood chips (apple, hickory, or almond)
Fennel seeds and juniper berries (optional)

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Instructions

Prepare the Brine: Mix water, salt, honey, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cool to room temperature.
Clean the Sardines: Pick your preferred method:
- Method 1: Remove head and tail, slice open belly, clean and rinse
- Method 2: Keep head and tail intact, make diagonal slice, clean chest cavity
Brine the Fish: Place cleaned sardines in the cooled brine mixture and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
Dry the Fish: Take sardines out of brine, give them a quick rinse, and pat dry. Let them air dry for 30-60 minutes until the surface feels tacky.
Prepare Smoker: Add wood chips to your stovetop smoker’s bottom or prepared pan. Add fennel seeds and juniper berries if desired.
Smoke the Sardines: Set fish on the rack, cover, and heat until smoke appears. Lower the heat and smoke for 30 minutes.