River Cottage

The trick with this recipe is to get your oven as hot as you can so the skin of the sardines can blister and crackle in the short time it takes for the rich, oily flesh to cook through. Pairing that delicious garlic-infused flesh with some crisp leaves creates an irresistible plateful. You can use any leaves you fancy here but I particularly like those with a delicate bitterness such as frisée or white chicory. Crisp-leaved romaine lettuce is good too. Add a few herbs to the mix if you can – chervil, parsley, chives and sorrel all work well.