CHEFS' RECIPES
Cured sardine, fennel, mushroom and bottarga salad on croûtons

Cured sardine, fennel, mushroom and bottarga salad on croûtons

“Greeks regard avgotaraho (salted and dried grey mullet roe) as a much finer product than French poutargue or Italian bottarga,” Barthelmess explains, “but it’s difficult to get in Australia so we’ve used bottarga. This dish is great with ouzo.”

Serves 8

Cooking Time Prep time 20 mins, cook 15 mins (plus cooling, curing)



11   thin rye loaf slices, cut into 5cm x 3cm pieces
2 tbsp   extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1   baby fennel bulb, shaved
5   button mushrooms, shaved on a mandolin
2 tbsp   coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
50 gm   bottarga, shaved
Marinated sardines
160 ml   (2/3 cup) white wine vinegar
160 ml   white wine
1 tsp   fennel seeds
1   fresh bay leaf
1   lemon, zested rind only
8   sardine fillets (or 4 butterflied sardines)


1 For marinated sardines, combine all ingredients except sardines in a saucepan, bring to the boil over high heat, then remove from heat and stand until cool(30-40 minutes). Place sardines in a non-reactive dish in a single layer, cover with marinade and stand for 1 hour at room temperature to lightly cure.
2 Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Place bread in a single layer on a baking tray, brush lightly with oil and bake, turning once, until toasted (10-15 minutes). Set aside.
3 Combine fennel, mushrooms and parsley in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp marinade, season to taste and toss lightly to combine. Remove sardines from remaining marinade, cut each into four pieces, place one piece on each croûton, top with salad, then a little bottarga, and serve.

This recipe is from the March 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Drink Suggestion Ouzo or dry white vermentino.

RECIPE Janni Kyritsis and Jonathan Barthelmess PHOTOGRAPHY Jason Loucas STYLING Kirsten Bookallil DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen

Search by cuisine, name, ingredients...

Gourmet Traveller magazine

Subscribe and win!

Subscribe or renew your subscription to Gourmet Traveller this month and go into the draw to win an indulgent 5 night holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand in your own beachfront villa valued over $16,000!
Get 12 months of Gourmet Traveller for the online only price of $69.95
Subscribe Now!