Does anyone out there have any experiencs with grilling fresh sardines? I was reading an article on this and thought it sounded cool but was wondering about guest comments, did they go for them or was there a lot of "selling" involved. Also were there any problems in product availability.

Well I guess they are not a REAL popular item.

[Mezzaluna]

Do they have another name (such as tilapia = St. Peter's Fish, I believe)?

[cape chef]

Actually Tilapia is a member cichldae family.
They are native of Africa. They we're originally imported to the U.S.lekes in 1960 to curb the growth of certian algae.
Farmers have developed hybrids with red,black or gold skins. Cultured fish that have a controlled diet are mild and sweet. I.m seeing alot more tilapia in the markets the last few years and run it at work on occasion.one of the benifite of tilapia is it is still affordable..I use the same cooking techniques that I apply to bass or snapper. sardines are actually young herring,pilchard or sprat.Fresh broiled or grilled sardines are really quite good and really do not give off a bad oder (unlike kippers)yuk!!The first time I had fresh sardines was 11 years ago at Tra Vinga in Napa Valley. I can't remember exactly how chirela cooked them,But I remember them being crisp on the out side and very moist inside...I think that there is a market for fresh sardines...But it might require some educating the public on it's benifits. Very high in omega 3 oils
cc

[elakin]

fresh sardines are delicious.

i'm working right now at an sicilian restaurant which specializes in "poor fish" as my boss calls them. we do sardines a few different ways.

one dish is called cotellettine di sarde. after cleaning the sardines (so they are boneless and butterflied open so it's just two attached filets) just dredge them in flour, dip in water, and then in breadcrumbs just like you would with cotelete milanese. then deep fry and serve salted well with lemon. delicious.

we also do another called sarde ripiene. for this you take six butterflied sardines and fill them with a gratin-type breadcrumb-herb mixture, sandwiching it between two fish to make like three little sandwiches. drizzle with olive oil, scatter a few fresh bay leaves around and roast in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.

when the fish are starting to get close to turning, we make sardo, which is a condiment that we use in other dishes, pastas, sauces, etc. you cook the fish by sauteeing in olive oil with garlic and pepperoncini, then deglaze with white wine and reduce it well, season to the point of almost being too salty, and then puree the whole thing and cool it down. this is used almost like a spice paste in many dishes to give that little extra shot of salty fishiness. hope i described it well....delicious.

i think there's a market for sardines as people become more and more informed. like many things (anchovies, for instance), they've gotten a bad rep for the one preparation everyone knows. if you're guests are informed and gourmet-ish, they'll be open to trying something...i think.