12 recipes of Christmas: How to make La Lupa's pickled sardines

Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family, which comes with the joy of indulging in a hearty meal or having a few drinks. For some, these celebrations can trigger heartburn or indigestion, but thanks to Gaviscon, you can enjoy this delicious time without hesitation. In celebration, we’ve partnered with Gaviscon to bring to you the 12 recipes of Christmas by some of our favourite Aussie chefs and bartenders. See all 12 recipes here.

For some, Christmas time is a joyful time, filled with laughter, feasting, and spending time with loved ones while the Champagne flows and Grandad inevitably sneaks away for a nap. Then, there are those who do the cooking. As much as we love the holiday period, for many it’s a mad dash to the finish line – the silly season parties, Christmas lunch planning, beer fridge needs to be stocked, all in a sea of wrapping paper and a last minute sprint through the supermarket. 

For executive chef Valentina Vigni of La Lupa in Brisbane’s West End, the secret to a relaxed festive affair is to prepare in advance – way in advance. One of her Christmas starters (and a crowd favourite at the restaurant) is a humble but impressive platter of pickled sardines with quick pickled onions, fresh basil, and mint leaves. 

“Christmas in Australia, especially in Queensland, it’s super hot. This dish is great to have at the beginning of a meal; it’s acidic, it’s fresh and gets you salivating,” says Vigni. 

This dish is a great way to use sardines, an often overlooked seafood that is abundant in Australian waters. The affordable and delicious fish are one of the most nutritious and sustainable on the market and are absolutely packed with beneficial fats as well as flavour. “It’s super simple, it’s tasty, you don’t get that intense fishy flavour that sardines can sometimes have. The longer the fish sits in the pickle, the better it is.”

While you can have your fishmonger descale and clean the fish for you, Vigni prefers to do this step for herself, and uses the offcuts to make sauces and reduce waste. This starter is an elegant way to kick off your Christmas celebrations and can be made in a snap, weeks ahead of time, so your festive season will be a breeze.

When Vigni talks of Christmas, her enthusiasm is palpable. “Since I was a kid I’ve loved everything about Christmas, getting together with friends and family and eating all day. In Italy, Christmas is a three-day feast. It’s massive and I love it.” And while she can’t quite get home to Italy to see her loved ones this year, Vigni is looking forward to a well-deserved break after working straight through the lockdown at La Lupa, making the pivot to takeaway and adapting to a shifting landscape. 

“I’m looking forward to being able to just rest, to be honest.” 

Pickled Sardines

Ingredients

500g fresh sardines
300ml water
200ml white wine vinegar 
100g white sugar
10 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves 
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp whole fennel seeds
Gaviscon – if you suffer from heartburn or indigestion and want to eat and drink with confidence during the holidays!

Method

1. For the brine, combine the white wine vinegar, sugar, water, fennel seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool down
2. Meanwhile descale the sardine and rinse under a tap to make sure there are no stray scales stuck to the fish
3. Lay the sardine on the work surface and starting from the vent hole of the fish, cut through the belly towards the head of the fish. Remove the guts and head and rinse the belly cavity to remove any left-behind entrails and blood, trimming the dorsal fins away with scissors
4. Lightly press the fish onto a chopping board, so that the empty cavity is against the board and the two fillets are splaying out on either side, skin-side up. Gently but firmly, press down on the back bone to open up the belly area – you will feel the spine coming away from the flesh as you push down
5. Turn the fish over and carefully pull out the backbone, taking care not to pull the flesh off at the same time
6. Sprinkle the sardines with salt and rest them for 30 minutes
7. Afterwards, stack the sardines in a container and pour over the cold brine
8. Leave the fish to marinate for a minimum of two weeks (refrigerated)
9. Serve with thinly sliced pickled onion (you can use the same recipe of the sardine brine and keep the onion in the brine for a couple of hours), fresh mint and basil leaves

Heartburn an issue? Pick up Gaviscon from your local grocery store or pharmacy. Make it a Christmas to remember and win a $2,000 Visa Gift Card from Gaviscon to spend on summer entertaining – head to www.gaviscon.com.au/win to enter.