Canned Sardines and Grilled Red Pepper Salad: A Modern Portuguese Petisco
June is festival season in Portugal which also coincides with the start of sardine season. And Portugal becomes one giant street party. Streets draped with colorful streamers, pulsing with music, laughter, and the irrestiable scent of fresh sardines sizzling over charcoal grills until the early morning hours. Which is the inspiration for the dish I’m sharing with you today.
This recipes elevates the canned sardine into a flavorful petisco, bringing the flavors of the festival season right into your home. It represents everything I love about Portuguese cooking. Completely unpretentious, deeply flavorful, and brings people together.
By using quality canned sardines (seek out Portuguese brands if possible), you’re not settling for second best. You’re participating in a tradition that values flavor, community, and the joy of sharing good food with people you care about.
Whether you’re hosting friends for an evening of petiscos or simply want to bring a taste of Portuguese summer to your weeknight dinner, this dish delivers. It’s proof that the best recipes aren’t always about exotic ingredients or complex techniques. Sometimes they’re about understanding how simple elements can create something greater than the sum of their parts.
What is a Petisco?
Before we dive deeper, let’s talk about petiscos. Petiscos means snacks in Portuguese. It’s an appetizer, like a Spanish tapa. They can be something as simple as a bowl of peanuts or olives. But more often are small plates of food designed for sharing amoung 4-6 people. The larger portion sizes encourages ordering multiple dishes to share. The hubby and I often order several just to experience more yummy flavors in one sitting. They’re the heart of Portuguese social dining, meant to be enjoyed slowly with good wine and even better company.
My First Sardine Festival: Beautiful Chaos
My first time going to a sardine festival in Lisboa was nothing like I expected. Total chaos…streets crowded with people so tight you almost couldn’t move through them, like a wave of humanity that you just joined and went along with the flow. Flowing from one street to the next, past rows of grills tucked into every flat space and corner. Clouds of charcoal smoke and the intoxicating smell of grilling fish linger low in the air (the 4 photos above are from my first time).
The din of voices mixed with live music and dancing in the streets – whether it was a band or DJ, different on every block. The chaos just intensifies as the day goes on (and the alcohol flows) with festivals ‘officially’ ending between midnight and 2 AM. BUT many festival-goers (and the music) continues on into the later hours. You get swept up into the excitement filling your belly and soul with good food, wine, music, and community, swept up in something larger than yourself.
Pro tip for festival-goers: Those old cobblestone streets require comfortable shoes, but you’re still looking your best. The weather is warm, usually hot, so it’s summer clothes. You’re only carrying what’s easy to carry. White sneakers are your best friend for cobblestone navigation…comfy cushioning. Still stylish enough to work with everything from dresses to cute shorts.
How this Sparked the Inspiration for this Dish
Walking through those narrow cobblestone streets during these festivals is sensory overload in the best possible way. Grills lining every street, tended by locals who’ve perfected the art of grilling sardines with nothing more than coarse salt, a drizzle of golden olive oil, and the kiss of charcoal smoke. The fish, at their peak freshness during these summer months. And are usually served simply on slices of white bread or traditional broa de milho (Portuguese cornbread).
Accompanying the sardines are grilled potatoes with their crispy skins, refreshing chickpea salads, bowls of caldo verde soup (potato soup with kale or cabbage and sausage), and my personal favorite…grilled red pepper salad with its smoky sweetness and bright cilantro finish. Of course if you’re not a fish fan, you can always get a bifana, a lovely pork sandwich (try my version influenced by my southern US hertiage here). Paired with cold beer or crisp Vinho Verde, enjoyed under strings of lights and colorful red, yellow, and green streamers that criss cross the streets overhead.
When Fresh Isn’t an Option
Fresh sardines are a summer-only treasure, available just from June through August (sometimes stretching into September, if we’re lucky). The rest of the year, even Portuguese restaurants serve frozen ones. So don’t believe the fresca on the menu if it’s winter when you visit. And if you’re not in Portugal at all? Finding quality fresh sardines can be nearly impossible.
But I’m not letting geography or seasonality keep you from experiencing these incredible flavors. That’s where this recipe was born…from a desire to share the essence of Portuguese sardine festivals, using ingredients you can find in any grocery store.
Elevating the Humble Canned Sardine
My Canned Sardines and Grilled Red Pepper Salad takes inspiration from those summer grilled sardines and the Portuguese Grilled Pepper and Tomato Salad (try my version of the salad here). But since fresh sardines are only caught in the summer, I switched out for canned ones and added caramelized onions and a rich tomato base, deepening the flavors.
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You want to use sardines packed in olive oil. And don’t waste that oil. When you drain it, reserve half to cook the veggies in. This simple step infuses the entire dish with that deep, oceanic flavor that ties everything together beautifully. Also, don’t forget to remove the backbone and stomach area before serving (check out the photos above for reference).
Also, don’t rush the caramelization process…on either the red peppers or the slow-cooked onions. Otherwise you miss developing the sweetness that perfectly complements the sardines’ richness. But only if you give them enough time.
The addition of smoked paprika – both sweet and spicy – is a MUST because it brings back those essential grilled flavors that would otherwise be missing from the indoor cooking process.
Finally, make sure to cook the tomatoes down until they create a proper sauce. If they’re not juicy enough, add a splash of water to achieve that perfect consistency. Like juicier? Then add a bit more water until it’s the way you like it.
A Dish Worth Celebrating
An inexpensive ingredient transformed into an elegant petisco that rivals anything you’d find in a Portuguese tasca. The sardines provide protein, healthy omega-3s, and minerals. And the summer veggies add vitamins and that essential Mediterranean freshness. It’s comfort food that happens to be incredibly good for you.
You can dish up Canned Sardines and Grilled Red Pepper Salad anytime, including as…
- An elegant appetizer for dinner parties
- A light lunch served with crusty Portuguese bread
- A mezze-style sharing plate for casual gatherings
- A healthy weeknight dinner that comes together in minutes
Serve it warm or at room temp with crusty bread or even simple saltine crackers, and suddenly your dining room becomes a little corner of Portugal. Close your eyes while eating, and you can almost hear the guitars, smell the charcoal smoke, and feel the warm June breeze carrying the sounds of celebration through narrow Alfama streets.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to a sardine festival in Portugal, or if you give the dish a try.
Good food feed the soul!
Canned Sardines and Grilled Red Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can sardines packed in olive oil
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 medium-size onion thinly sliced
- 2 medium-size tomatoes chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp smoked spicy paprika
- 1.5 tsp. smoked sweet paprika
- large handful of fresh cilantro chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Olive oil for finishing
Instructions
- Slice the red bell pepper into strips. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Grill the pepper strips for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred and softened. Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Drain the sardines, reserving all the olive oil from the can.
- Heat half of the reserved sardine oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook slowly for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized.
- Add the minced garlic to the caramelized onions and cook for 1 minute until fragrant before adding the chopped tomatoes, smoked sweet paprika, and smoked spicy paprika. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and create a saucy consistency. If the tomatoes aren't juicy enough, add a good splash of water or enough to achieve your desired saucy texture.
- Add the grilled red pepper pieces to the pan and stir everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through and meld the flavors. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped fresh cilantro.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the warm vegetable mixture to a serving dish.
- Half the sardines into filets. To half, gently slide a fork tine or butterknife along the belly side and carefully pull apart. Then remove the backbone and stomach area parts. Arrange the sardines over the warm vegetables.
- Drizzle with a good olive oil for finishing.
- Serve room temp with crusty Portuguese bread or broa de milho (cornbread), if available. And of course, a glass of Vinho Verde or a Red Wine from Alentejo region, or a cold beer.