I love sardines! Broil herb-stuffed sardines is a method to cook them that promises to be delicious and flavorful.

A row of broiled herb-stuffed sardines on a plate with lemon wedges.

Fresh sardines aren’t for the faint of heart. They come whole – with eyes, fins, and tails intact. Plus, you’ve gotta eviscerate them before you cook ‘em.  And when you do eat them, you’ve got to contend with tons of tiny bones. The flesh is firm and has a strong, pronounced briney flavor. It ain’t chicken, folks. But without a doubt, I LOVE them!

A plate with two broil herb-stuffed sardines with a side of blistered shisito peppers, sliced tomatoes, and a lemon wedge.

They’re sustainable, delicious, easy to prepare, super healthy, packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and low in toxins. There are lots of great resources that teach you how to tackle these little fishies. Definitely check out this post to discover the different ways to prepare them. If you see fresh sardines at your fishmonger, snatch them up pronto!

Follow the jump to see how I made them!

Time to make Broiled Herb-Stuffed Sardines!

Serves 3

Ingredients:

  • 6 large fresh sardines (2 pounds total)
  • 3 tablespoons of butter or ghee
  • ½ cup of Italian parsley, packed
  • 4 stalks of green onions, chopped medium
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of melted bacon grease
  • 1 large lemon

Equipment:

  • All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

Like all perishable seafood, I kept the sardines on top of a bowl of ice in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook them.

Raw sardines in a plastic Ziplock bag keeping cool in a bowl of ice.

I preheated the broiler on high and positioned the top rack 4 inches from the heating element.

Next, I took out my kitchen knife to gut the fish.

Sardines laid on a cutting board ready to be gutted.

I cut a shallow line along the belly of the fish and pulled out the innards…

Step by step pictures of the process of gutting sardines.

…before rinsing and patting them dry.

A row of sardines before being cooked on a cutting board.

After the fish were cleaned, I threw the butter…

Slices of butter in a food processors, with someone adding in parsley.

…parsley…

Someone holding a measuring cup with parsley.

…green onions…

Someone holding stalks of green onions in both of their hands.

…and some salt and pepper into a mini food processor…

All the ingredients for the herb-stuffing in a food processor for broiled herb-stuffed sardines.

…and pulsed everything…

Someone pulsing the herb-stuff ingredients in a food processor.

…until a uniform paste was formed.

A butter herb paste in a food processor for broiled herb-stuffed sardines.

I spooned 1 tablespoon of filling into each sardine cavity…

Someone putting in a spoonful of the herb-butter marinade into the sardine cavities.

The bellies of sardines stuffed with the herb-butter blend.

…brushed the skin with melted bacon grease…

Someone brushing the skin of the sardines with bacon grease.

…and sprinkled salt and pepper on each side of the sardines.

Then, I put the prepared sardines on a wire rack that was on top of a foil-lined baking sheet

A row of herb-stuffed sardines on a wire rack ready to be broiled.

…and stuck the tray into the oven.

Someone placing the tray of herb-stuffed sardines into the oven to be broiled.

I broiled them for 5 minutes total, flipping the fish over at the halfway mark.

A tray of herb-stuffed sardines in the oven broiling, with smoke coming off the top of them.

A closeup of the broiled herb-stuffed sardines.

I sliced up a lemon…

Someone slicing up lemons into wedges.

…and served them with the broiled sardines.

A plate of broiled herb-stuffed sardines on a plate with lemon wedges.

Spritzed with some fresh lemon juice, these charred fishies were tasty!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Broiled Herb-Stuffed Sardines

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings 3
It ain’t chicken, folks. But without a doubt, I LOVE these Broiled Herb-Stuffed Sardines!

Ingredients 
 

  • 6 large fresh sardines 2 pounds total
  • 3 tablespoon butter or ghee
  • 1/2 cup Italian parsley chopped medium
  • 4 green onion stalks chopped medium
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon melted bacon grease
  • 1 large lemon
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the broiler on high and position the top rack 4 inches from the heating element.
  • Take out your kitchen knife and gut the fish. Cut a shallow line along the belly of the fish and pull out the innards. Rinse the fish and pat dry.
  • Throw in the butter or ghee, parsley, green onions, salt and pepper into the food processor. Pulse until a uniform paste is formed.
  • Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into each sardine cavity.
  • Brush the skin of the fish with the melted bacon grease and sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
  • Put the prepared sardines on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet and stick them into the oven.
  • Broil for 5 minutes, flipping the fish at the halfway mark.
  • Spritz with fresh lemon juice.

Notes

Like all perishable seafood, I kept the sardines on top of a bowl of ice in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook them.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 36g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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