Homemade Spanish Sardines

Name: Homemade Spanish Sardines
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 12 medium sardines (- "Tamban" can befresh or frozen); 1 cup olives; 5 big cloves garlic (- sliced); 1 medium carrot (- cut into flower shapes); 3 pieces bay leaves; 10-12 pieces peppercorn; 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (or 2 pieces spicy chili - chopped); 1 cup olive oil; 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 cup water ((or more)); 1 tablespoon vinegar

BY :Bebs | Published: 04/06/ 2019 | Updated:09/18/ 2021 | 88 Comments

RECIPE VIDEO PRINT

5 from 18 votes

Make your own homemade Spanish Sardines with this super easy recipe. Store them in jars to give to your friends or to sell. No pressure cooker needed.

Another great find I got from my dear sister-in-law, ate Mia, on our last Paris trip was her Homemade Spanish Sardines.

Back home in the Philippines some years ago, canned Spanish-style sardines became big and everyone fell in love with this spicy sardines in oil and herbs. It was also one of my favorite ready to eat food and we would usually make sure we stock some cans or jars at home for the times we want something easy to prepare but also yummy.

Now, with this recipe, I can make it exactly the way I like it! As spicy as I like it and with lots of olives and garlic.

I was only able to get frozen sardines but they are as good as the fresh ones. I am pretty sure you can also use other similar kinds of small fish like Anchovy, Herring or even Mackerel.

Other recipes require using a pressure cooker to make this recipe but slow cooking also works fine. It takes about 40 mins to an hour to cook on low heat uncovered. The ultimate goal is to reduce the liquids to half and get the fish meat and small fish bones to become so tender without the fish breaking into pieces.

How to make Spanish Style Sardines without pressure cooker

How to make homemade Spanish Sardines?

This is the slow-cook way of making Spanish-style sardine.

Remove the heads and guts and wash the sardines.
At the bottom of a small pot, arrange some of the olives, carrots, bay leaf, peppercorn, and garlic.
Lay 3-4 pieces of sardines on top. Repeat this layering until all sardines are used.
Sprinkle the chili flakes and salt evenly over the sardines.
Pour the olive oil and water over the sardines. Add more water to make sure that the sardines are submerged in the liquids.
Bring it to boil over medium-low heat. Once it boils, add the vinegar. Let it cook for 45 mins to an hour or until the liquids are reduced to half and only the oil is left.

Cook some more and bottle them up!

You can store these Spanish Sardines for later in jars or they can be a great giveaway ideas to friends and relatives. You can also make some bucks selling them. Make sure though that you sterilize your jars or bottles properly and that you follow the correct way of canning food.

Two ways to sterilize your jars:

1. Wash the jars and lids thoroughly. Let dry. Then put the bottles inside the oven at 100° C for 5-10 minutes.
2. Wash them thoroughly. Put them in a deep pot, fill with water and let boil. Then let dry.

If to be consumed within some days to a week, just transfer them in a sterilized jar or container and place in the fridge. But if you want to have your sardines lasting longer then you have to do a proper canning.

There is the boiling water bath canning that can probably make it last for a month or so. Here is a very inf

If you are planning to sell commercially, please do a proper pressure canning using a pressure canner or cooker.

You might also be interested in my Gourmet Tuyo recipe.

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