In Britain, sardines are generally regarded as a poor man’s fish. Yet in Spain and elsewhere, locally caught sardines are considered a delicacy, and rightly so. Like mackerel, fresh sardines have a beautiful, silvery-blue skin and are incredibly nutritious. They can be served in a number of ways, but being oily, I think they are at their best simply grilled or barbecued. If you find them fiddly to eat, try them filleted and don’t waste your time trying to pick all the bones out — they will disintegrate during cooking.

As with all types of food, it’s important to learn which flavours work together. Years ago, the Cornish and Devon fisherfolk invented Stargazey pie — a circle of sardines sandwiched between layers of shortcrust pastry, their heads left poking through the top. Although aesthetically I think they may have got it wrong, they stuffed the fish with herbs, mustard, apple or samphire, which would have complemented the sweetness and richness of the sardine perfectly.

To show you just how delicious and versatile sardines are, I have come up with a variety of recipes this week, using different cooking methods and contrasting flavourings. There’s nothing wrong with tinned sardines on toast for a quick lunchtime snack. But try putting freshly roasted sardines and tomatoes with garlic and rosemary on top of griddled slices of ciabatta, and you’ll soon realise what delicacies I’m talking about.

Sardines are also fantastic marinated and can stand up to strong spices. I’m using chermoula in the second recipe, a marinade used in North African cooking, usually made from cumin, garlic, lemon juice and oil, a mixture of herbs, and sometimes chilli and saffron. As with all marinades, scrape away the excess before cooking as they have a tendency to burn. When the weather picks up and the bank holiday season begins, this recipe would be ideal for the barbecue, too.

Sorrel leaves are sour and add an acidity to the velouté sauce in the final recipe, which counters the oiliness of the sardines. You can find sorrel in farmers’ markets and specialist greengrocers. Otherwise, substitute the sorrel for tarragon and adjust to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Roasted sardines and tomatoes on ciabatta with garlic and rosemary

Serves 4

If the sardines haven’t been scaled, use your fingers to remove them under a cold running tap. As they are being roasted whole, it’s up to you to decide whether you gut the sardines or not. Some people like to cook sardines ungutted, as it gives the flesh a distinctive flavour. If you do this, just eat around them or scrape them out before serving.

8 small sardines, scaled

250g cherry tomatoes

Rock salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, peeled

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