A discovery in the marina of Royan
The sea, the salty scent and the gentle lapping of the waves, while in the background the soft light of the setting sun makes the sailboats and yachts glow in golden tones. It was precisely at this moment, in an excellent restaurant overlooking the Royan marina, that we discovered them: the sardine rillettes. Their taste immediately captivated us – unique, fresh, a little citrusy, yet with the intense flavour of the sardine.
Back home, we started researching, experimenting and creating our own version to enjoy that unforgettable taste experience all over again. And now we want to share this recipe with you.
The recipe: Sardine rillettes
Ingredients:
1 tin of sardines (for example from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie).
1 medium shallot
1 untreated lime
200 g cream cheese
Salt
A pinch of piment d’Espelette
Preparation:
1. put the sardines in a bowl with two teaspoons of their own oil and mash them with a fork.
2. add the cream cheese and mix well. Add the cream cheese and mix well.
3. Wash the lime while hot and separate the zest with a zest grater or sharp knife. Note: Only use the green outer layer, the white underneath is bitter!
4. Add the finely diced shallot and the lime zest to the sardine and cream cheese mixture and mix everything together. You can do this with a fork, but if you prefer a fine, creamy puree, use a blender.
5. Season the mixture with salt and piment d’Espelette. The sardine rillettes should have a slightly salty note and a subtle spiciness from the piment d’Espelette.
Tips and serving recommendations
Sardine rillettes are wonderful as an amuse-gueule or as part of an appetiser plate. They can also be served as a dip with various tapas and of course taste great freshly prepared on a crusty baguette.
We recommend that you enjoy the sardine rillettes immediately or at the latest the next day. In our house, however, it never lasts that long; it is usually eaten up completely on the first day!
We hope you will love this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy it and savour the little taste explosions of the sardine rillettes on your tongue. Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to start your own culinary discovery trip and experiment a little. Bon appétit!