Serves 3-4

- 1 big handful of sultanas

- 3 tbsp plain flour

- Flaked sea salt and ground black pepper

- 5 tbsp light olive oil

- 6-8 stiff fresh sardines, scaled, gutted and degilled

- 2 medium red onions

- 1 tsp cumin seeds

- 1 tsp coriander seeds

- 5-6 sprigs of fresh young thyme

- 4 small bay leaves

- 2 big juicy oranges

- 1½ tbsp sherry vinegar

- 40g pine nuts

- Good olive oil, to finish

- Fresh young thyme leaves, to garnish

Soak the sultanas in just-boiled water for an hour or so. Sprinkle the flour onto a plate and season with a generous pinch of salt and a couple of twists of black pepper. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. The oil must be hot, otherwise by the time the fish has browned it will be overcooked. Roll the sardines in the flour, patting off any excess, and fry quickly in the oil for a couple of minutes on each side until well browned and cooked through. Remove to a serving plate, handling them carefully. Wipe the pan clean with a thick wad of kitchen paper.

Peel and halve the red onions and slice them as thinly as your patience will allow: the thinner, the better. Keep to one side. In a dry frying pan toast the cumin and coriander seeds until the coriander begins to pop; do not allow them to burn. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the pan, followed by the onions, drained sultanas, thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and fry gently. On no account allow the onions to colour; cook them until they are just beginning to soften. This takes about 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Peel the rind from 1 of the oranges into wide strips and add to the pan. Squeeze the juice from both the oranges and pour over the onions. Add the sherry vinegar and bring to the boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by a third. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the sardines in their dish. Cover and leave to stand for at least 2 hours before serving, turning once.

Just before serving, put the pine nuts in a small, dry frying pan and cook for 5-6 minutes over a medium heat until golden brown, turning often so that they don’t burn. Scatter the nuts over the sardines, dribble over some good olive oil and strew with fresh young thyme leaves just before you bring the plate to the table. Eat with good bread for mopping up the juices and any onion or sultana stragglers.

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