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Sardinhas Grelhadas

Name: Sardinhas Grelhadas
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 8 fresh whole sardines; 2 tbsp coarse sea salt; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves garlic; 1 lemon; 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley; 4 slices crusty bread

Sardinhas Grelhadas reads marine & briny 7.6, umami 7.4 and salinity 6.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Portuguese main, about 25 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Marine & Briny 7.6 · Umami 7.4 · Salinity 6.4 · Citrus 6.4 · Sourness 5.8 · Richness 5.3 · Fruity 4.9 · Allium 3.6 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Floral 1.3 · Bitterness 1.0 · Sweetness 0.9 · Nutty 0.9 · Earthy 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.8

What's in it (7)

8 fresh whole sardines
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
4 slices crusty bread

Time & effort: about 25 min (15 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 188.1 kcal, 19.7 g protein, 9.1 g fat, 5.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Scale and gut sardines if needed, then rub generously with coarse sea salt and let sit 30 minutes.
Grill over very hot charcoal or a griddle pan for 3-4 minutes per side until the skin is blistered and the flesh is opaque.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon and scatter with parsley.
Serve on crusty bread that soaks up the juices.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

She-Crab Soup — Southern · Lowcountry
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine — Italian-American
Mussels in White Wine Garlic Broth — French
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo — Mediterranean
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta — Italian-American

Keep reading: what marine & briny, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.