Sweet and sour marinated sardines

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 handful of raisins
• 500 ml white wine, dry
• 600 g sardines, small
• some flour, for turning
• 100 ml vegetable oil, for frying
• Salt
• 4 onions, preferably white
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful of pine nuts
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 500 ml vinegar (white wine vinegar)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Total time approx. 1 day 30 minutes

Sardinia (Veneto)

First, soak the raisins in a little white wine. Slice or grate the onions into thin rings. Clean the sardines, remove the central bone, and remove the head and tail fin to create fillets. Coat them in flour and fry them in vegetable oil in batches until golden brown. Season with salt, remove from the pan, and drain on kitchen paper. Once all the sardines are fried, drain the remaining oil. Now add the olive oil and 6 tablespoons of white wine to the pan and heat gently. Sauté the onions over low heat until soft. Add the raisins, pine nuts, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil with the remaining wine and vinegar, season with salt, and simmer for a few minutes. Then remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In a porcelain or glass dish, alternate layers of sardines and onions, with the last layer being onions. Pour on enough marinade to cover everything, refrigerate, and let marinate for at least 24 hours.