Tostada de Sardinas
This quick tostada is crisp, juicy, and deeply savory, with rich grilled sardines balanced by bright lemon and a fresh tomato-caper topping. It feels rustic yet elegant, making it ideal for a light lunch, easy supper, or tapas-style starter.
Ingredients
Tostadas
- 2 slices (about 120 g)sourdough bread, thick slices
- 1 tbsp (15 ml)olive oil
Sardines and topping
- 160 gfresh sardine fillets, boneless
- 120 gcherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp (15 g)capers, drained
- 10 gflat-leaf parsley
- 1 smalllemon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml)olive oil
- 1/4 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/4 tspsea salt
- 1/8 tspblack pepper
Instructions
- 1
Preheat a grill pan or frying pan over medium-high heat. While it heats, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the parsley, and cut the lemon in half.
- 2
Put the sardine fillets in a small bowl and season with the smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, 1 tsp of the olive oil, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Toss gently so the fillets stay intact.
- 3
Mix the tomatoes, capers, parsley, 2 tsp lemon juice, and the remaining olive oil from the sardine mixture in a bowl. Taste and adjust with a tiny pinch of salt only if needed, as the capers are already salty.
- 4
Brush both sides of the sourdough slices with the olive oil for the tostadas. Toast in the hot pan for 1-2 minutes per side until crisp and lightly charred at the edges.
- 5
Add the sardine fillets to the same hot pan, skin-side down first if they have skin. Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side, just until opaque and lightly golden. Do not overcook; sardines should stay juicy and flake easily.
- 6
Top each toast with the grilled sardines, then spoon over the tomato-caper-parsley mixture. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve immediately while the bread is still crisp.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •Ask your fishmonger for boneless sardine fillets to keep this beginner-friendly and within 15 minutes.
- •If using tinned sardines instead of fresh, skip the grilling step and warm them briefly in the pan for 30 seconds; the flavor will be softer but still delicious.
- •Rub the hot toast lightly with a cut side of lemon for extra brightness before topping.
- •Serve with a simple green salad or as part of a tapas spread.
Background
Open-faced toasts with seafood are common across Spain, especially in tapas culture where good bread, olive oil, and simply prepared fish are celebrated. Sardines have long been a staple in coastal Spanish cooking, valued for their abundance, strong flavor, and affordability. This version combines classic Mediterranean pantry ingredients like tomato, capers, parsley, and lemon.
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