Sardines "à la Nantaise" for Frying

Sardines à la Nantaise for Frying from la belle-iloise

Sardines à la Nantaise for frying from la belle-iloise already contain the classic sauce from the Loire estuary in the tin: butter, onions, vinegar, and a splash of Muscadet. Add to that tomato, garlic, and parsley, and warm the whole thing up in a pan.

Sardines à la Nantaise for frying are a warm tinned fish product from la belle-iloise in Quiberon, Brittany. The tin contains whole sardines in a butter marinade with onions, apple cider vinegar, tomato, garlic, parsley, and a dry white wine from the Nantes region.

Butter, wine, and onions over the fish

The marinade tastes savory and slightly acidic because two types of vinegar work against the richness of the butter, lifting its heaviness. The wine contributes its dry character without pushing itself to the forefront.

Onions form the sweet base, garlic remains a subtle hint in the background, and the parsley provides a green, fresh finish. The tomato adds color and rounds out the acidity.

When heated, everything combines into a creamy sauce that coats the fish and stays on the plate rather than running off. Anyone who has bread will leave nothing behind, and this is the only accompaniment the recipe from la belle-iloise requires.

The warm tinned fish with baguette and boiled potatoes

Briefly hold the closed tin under hot water so that the fat becomes liquid again and the contents can be removed cleanly.

After that, put everything into a pan over low heat; two to three minutes is enough. If you prefer to avoid the stove, simply place the dish in a preheated oven instead.

Serve with crusty baguette to mop up the sauce from the plate, as well as boiled potatoes or a green salad. Leftovers can be reheated the next day, ideally back in the pan over a low flame.

Beurre blanc, the sauce from the Loire estuary

Nantes lies where the Loire flows into the Atlantic, on the border between Brittany and the Pays de la Loire, and the cuisine of this region is known for a famous sauce.

It is called Beurre blanc (white butter) and is created by boiling down shallots with vinegar and white wine until almost nothing is left. Only then are cold pieces of butter stirred in until the sauce becomes creamy and takes on a light color.

Exactly this sequence is behind the recipe: wine, vinegar, onion, and butter, only already combined in the tin and enhanced with tomato and garlic. It was invented on the Loire and is filled on the Breton coast, and the two are less than a hundred kilometers apart.

For this, the sardines are brought in during the season, cleaned and packed by hand on the day of the catch, before the marinade is added at la belle-iloise.

A warm dinner from the pantry

Unopened, the tin lasts for years in a dark cupboard and becomes a main dish on tiring evenings, needing nothing more than bread. It is enough for two people if served with salad; for a larger group, you should prepare two tins and slice plenty of bread to go with them. You can find what else la belle-iloise sends from Quiberon in our selection from Brittany, and more recipes for the stove in our sardines for frying.