A typically Mediterranean adaptation of a Portugese speciality, usually made with salt cod, here we are using fresh sardine fillets and soft sweet peppers.

This can be eaten as a starter or as a hearty main course served with fresh crusty bread.

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Serves: 4

Level: Medium

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

800g fresh fillets of sardines

600g potatoes

100g Chorizo

100g tinned or bottled red peppers

1/2 a lemon

7 large cloves of garlic

1 Bouquet garni

1 tbsp Fresh Chopped parsley

1 litre milk

150ml single cream

2 slices of stale bread – Pain de Campagne

15 cl Olive oil

Freshly grated nutmeg

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions:

Peel and boil the potatoes with 2 cloves of garlic in salted water for about 15 minutes.

Clean the sardine filets, removing the tails and scales – remove any small bones with a pair of tweezers.

Bring the milk to the boil with the bouquet garni and gently and poach the sardine fillets for about 4 or 5 minutes.

Remove the sardines, add to the drained cooked potatoes and the 2 garlic cloves.

Mix the single cream with 100ml of the olive oil, put in a large pan and add the sardines, garlic and potatoes, mash roughly with a masher or a for, combining all the ingredients together – do not make the mixture too smooth – add a couple of gratings of fresh nutmeg, the juice of half the lemon, salt and pepper.

Put the mixture into an oven dish – keep warm in the oven at around 180°c – put 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled into a ramekin, add a sprinkle of olive oil, in the oven for 10 minutes.

Rub the two slices of bread with a clove of garlic.

Drain the sweet peppers and pat dry on kitchen paper – chop roughly into squares.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan, brown the bread on both sides, lightly fry the chorizo, add the peppers.

Roughly crush the cooked garlic without peeling – with the back of a large knife.

Cut the two slices of fried bread into smaller croutons – sprinkle them onto the brandade with the slices of chorizo, the peppers and the cooked garlic in their skins and the chopped parsley.


Serve hot with slices of fresh bread and a Rosé de Provence, a Bandol White, or a light red such as a Côtes de Rhone Villages (chilled slightly).

Bon Appetit!


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