Bread with tomato and sardines

Components

• One baguette
• Four mature tomatoes
• 1 kilogram of fresh sardines, whole, cleaned, and gutted (approximately 12 sardines)
• Two lemon-based broths
• oil as needed for seasoning
• Add salt and ground pepper as desired.
• new bay leaves
• toothpicks used to seal the sardine cans

Setup phase

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C (moderate heat). Grease a large baking tray with olive oil.

1. Place the sardines skin-side down on a rack, then season them with lemon broth, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Roll each sardine from the head to the tail and secure with a toothpick. Lay out a bay leaf and arrange the sardines on a baking tray, ensuring there is space between each one.
2. Coat each sardine with a drizzle of olive oil and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes—avoid leaving them in too long to prevent drying out. In the meantime, prepare the bread with tomato.
3. Slice the baguette diagonally. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add water with a drizzle of olive oil and toast the slices for approximately one minute on each side. Peel the garlic cloves and rub them onto the warm slices to infuse them with flavor. Set aside.
4. Wash and slice the tomatoes into sections. Remove the seeds and grate the pulp of each section using the coarse side of the grater, using the peel to protect your hand. Place the pulp in a bowl, add one tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
5. Take the sardines out of the oven and assemble the servings: on each baguette slice, spread some seasoned grated tomato and place a roasted sardine on top. Serve immediately.