Kris: It was a treat to go to our local seafood shop, MAKO and find fresh sardines. They are easy to use, you don’t need to gut them or fillet them, if you don’t mind, you can eat the whole fish bones and all when cooked. I thought they would be a great lunchtime match with some White Rabbit Brewery White Ale.

 Pan fried Sardines

200g fresh sardines

1  clove garlic (thinly sliced)

fresh parsley

capers

zest of 1/2 lemon

olive oil

50ml lambic beer

sea salt and cracked pepper

 Method

Pre-heat a pan and fry capers, lemon zest and garlic for a couple of minutes

Add sardines and drizzle with a little more olive oil

After 2-3 minutes, turn the sardines

Cook for a couple more minutes

Pour over the lambic ( it’s nice to add a bit of acidity) and turn off heat

Sprinkle with finely sliced parsley and season with salt and pepper

Serve with fresh, crusty bread

 Kris: This simple dish is a perfect match with the White Rabbit White Ale. This is a Belgian style witbier, brewed with juniper, coriander and orange peel. The citrus and spice cuts through the richness of the sardines and the sweetness from the wheat and addition of some local honey balances the intense saltiness of the dish.

Caroline: This dish was great. You can de-bone sardines this big, but I think the heads and bones and brains add great flavor and texture so I recommend eating them WHOLE (snap off the face if it makes you feel weird). The White Ale added a great amount of sweetness to the salty sardines..yum