We were going to buy razor clams at the market last Sunday but by the time we got there, there were none left. Instead we asked the fishmonger for 500gms of sardines, cleaned and no heads. He laughed and negotiated that we could have whatever was left in the presentation tray for €4. We didn’t know any better, it seemed like a good idea at the time, so we accepted. We walked home with 1.5kgs of whole, uncleaned sardines, heads intact.

Now if you cook fish yourself you probaby know that sardines are not that big, that they are not that difficult to gut and clean, and that they stink, and subsequentially wherever you gut and clean and cook the said sardines ends up smelling too. Unfortunately we didn’t, but we soon found out. I had a recipe and the afternoon on my hands. Michelle went off to the cinema to see a depressing film with Claire, I attacked the sardines. After gutting no less than 75 of them, I decided that I was not up to doing this again in a hurry so my original plan of preparing 1/3 of them, freezing the balance for another night wasn’t looking so bright and shiny anymore. I had to think of a Plan B and thanks to the willingness of several partners in crime, we were 5 around the table that night licking our fingers with mounds of sardines in front of us.

The recipe was good, sardines marinated in mint & lemon & olive oil, then dusted in flour and quickly fried and served with a salad. Very simple, very nice, and more than enough for the 5 of us.

Next week, we’re going to try and get up early to see if we can’t get us some of those elusive razor clams…