Cornbread crumbed hamsi - Turkish Cuisine

Some people find sardines overpowering in flavour, but this cornbread crumb really mellows them out. Even if you’re not a sardine eater, you’ll love this dish. Lemon verbena is a very seasonal herb, so if it’s not available use lemon myrtle or lemon thyme instead.

Ingredients



12 cleaned and scaled sardine fillets

plain flour, for dusting

1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to serve

40 g butter

6 leaves lemon verbena

sea salt flakes, to taste

Corn bread



400 ml yoghurt

400 ml water

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

3 eggs

180 g plain flour

20 g baking powder

60 g sugar

pinch of sea salt

330 g polenta

Cornbread crumbs



1 cup finely crumbled cornbread

1 tbsp polenta

pinch of sumac

25 g (¼ cup) walnuts, coarsely crushed

1 tsp fennel seeds

6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 tsp red pul biber

To serve



garlic yoghurt, sorrel leaves and lemon verbena flowers, to serve

Instructions



To make the cornbread, preheat the oven to 160˚C. Line a 20 x30 cm cake tin with baking paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yoghurt, water, olive oil and eggs until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt, and mix on low speed until just combined. With the motor running, slowly add the polenta and mix until smooth - the batter will be quite wet. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.



To make the cornbread crumbs, place all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well.



Dust the sardine fillets in the flour, then dip in the egg wash before coating thickly with cornbread crumbs. Press as much as you can into the sardines to enhance flavour.



Place the olive oil and butter in a large frypan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the lemon verbena leaves and shake the pan for 1 minute or until the leaves start to crisp. Place the sardines in the pan, skin-side down first, in two batches, if necessary. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden and crisp, then turn and cook the other side. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with a little sea salt.



To serve, spread a little garlic yoghurt on the base of each plate, Top with the crumbed sardines and crisp lemon verbena leaves, then drizzle with a little oil. Scatter with sorrel and lemon verbena flowers and serve immediately.







Note

• The cornbread recipe makes more than you need, but it’s handy to have on hand and freezes well. Coarsely crumble and store in ziplock bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.