Baked Sardines

If you haven’t cooked fresh sardines before, give this recipe a whirl. Not only is it easy to prepare, you’ll be surprised by how delicious the baked sardines taste. This pregnancy recipe is a rich source of omega-3s as well as iron, B12, vitamin D, calcium and other essential pregnancy nutrients.

| Serves 6 |

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut into cubes

1 large capsicum, roughly chopped

2 zucchini, halved lengthways and roughly chopped

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red onion, cut into wedges

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

12 fresh whole sardines (heads on), cleaned, scaled, gutted (or 700g other filleted oily fish)

2 tbsp capers

lemon wedges, flat leaf parsley and sourdough to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Place eggplant, capsicum, zucchini, tomatoes, onion and garlic on the prepared tray and toss with the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the fish by drizzling with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the tray from the oven, top with the fish fillets and capers, and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes or until lovely and crisp looking.

Serve with lemon wedges, a sprinkle of parsley and some crusty sourdough.

*This recipe was created by Sarah Wilson and appears in her Simplicious cookbook.