Ingredients

• 1 large free-range egg yolk
• 50g/1¾oz brown crab meat
• passed through a sieve
• ½ red chilli
• finely chopped
• ½ garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 1 small tsp Dijon mustard
• 100ml/3½fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• lemon juice
• to taste
• 4 tsp buttermilk
• ½ small bunch coriander
• finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50g/1¾oz sesame seeds
• 50g/1¾oz pistachio nuts
• 10g/¼oz nigella seeds
• 5g cumin seeds
• 25g/1oz coriander seeds
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 large sardines
• scaled
• butterflied and tails left in tact
• 2 small Little Gem lettuce
• cut into 4 lengthwise
• ½ tsp sumac spice mix
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• sprigs of fennel herb

Directions

• For the crab mayonnaise
• put the egg yolk
• crab
• chilli
• garlic and mustard in a bowl and whisk to combine. Mix the olive oil and vegetable oil in a jug. Slowly pour the oil into the bowl in a thin stream
• whisking all the time until emulsified. Season with salt
• pepper and lemon juice. Then stir in the buttermilk and chopped coriander. Set aside.
• For the dukka
• put the seeds and nuts in a dry frying pan and place over a medium heat. Cook carefully until the spices become fragrant and the nuts start to release their natural oils. Transfer everything to a pestle and mortar and pummel to a rough paste along with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• To cook the sardines
• preheat the grill to a high heat.
• Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the sardines and Baby Gem quarters and then season with salt
• black pepper
• sumac and chilli flakes.
• Grill the Little Gem on all sides for about 2 minutes until lightly charred and softened Carefully lay the sardines skin-side up and cook for 2 minutes before flipping and cooking briefly on the flesh side. The sardines should be nicely charred and still a little pink inside. Squeeze some lemon juice over the sardines and lettuce.
• To serve
• spoon a circle of mayonnaise on a plate and then arrange the sardines and Baby Gem quarters on top followed by the dukka and some sprigs of fennel herb.