Springtime at the seaside: Emily Scott's recipes for tinned sardine margherita and trout and crab tarts

The Guardian

19-05-2025

Crab, wonderful crab, an ingredient that has always been found on my restaurant menus and at home in my kitchen. This simple, rather rustic tart is delicious and sings of warmer days. Tarragon is underrated, but this soft herb is a staple in my garden and eats especially well with crab. Then, all the love for these little sardine tins of happiness, taking the classic flavours of a margherita pizza, tucking them up with the fish and using the tin to the max.
This makes a super-easy starter or midweek lunch.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
460g tinned sardines in escabeche (ie, 4 x 115g tins), or tinned sardines in olive oil (ideally in round tins to mimic the shape of a pizza) Black pepper150g pack mini mozzarella balls
8 black olives, pitted and halved
To serve50g unsalted butter1 sourdough loaf, sliced
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Remove the lids carefully from the tins of sardines and drain half the tomatoey oil from each tin into a jug. Put the tins with the sardines still in them on a baking sheet. Tear up the mozzarella balls and push them into the tins between the sardines, then season with a little black pepper. Do the same with the olives.
Drizzle a little of the reserved oil over the top of the contents of each tin, then bake for about 10 minutes, until bubbling and slightly caramelised. Serve with slices of buttered sourdough.
I like to use only white crab meat here, but if you like the brown meat, use half and half.
Prep 25 min
Chill 1 hr
Coo 35 min
Serves 6
For the shortcrust pastry (or use ready-made)175g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting1 egg yolk
A pinch of sea salt
For the crab custard3 eggs, separated300ml double cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped tarragon leavesJuice of 1 lemon500g white crab meatSea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp grated parmesan
Line the base of a 23–24cm fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin with baking paper. If you're making your own pastry, rub the butter into the flour, either in a bowl with your fingertips or in a food processor. Add the egg yolk, two tablespoons of cold water and a good pinch of salt, and mix to combine well. Bring the pastry together into a ball, slightly flatten it, then wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge to chill and rest for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/gas 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, use it to line the prepared tart tin, then chill for another 30 minutes.
Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, and blind bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are golden. Carefully lift out the paper and beans, bake for a further five to 10 minutes, until golden, then take out of the oven and set aside.
Turn down the oven to 210C (190C fan)/415F/gas 6½. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, cream, mustard, tarragon, lemon juice and crab meat, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until they just form stiff peaks, then gently fold through the crab mixture with a metal spoon, using a figure-of-eight movement. Spoon into the pastry case and top with the parmesan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble, then remove and leave to cool before cutting. This is delicious with a simple watercress and fennel salad and some good olive oil.
The pastry can be made in advance and frozen (or swapped for shop-bought). Dried rice is a good alternative to baking beans for blind baking, because it gets right into the edges.
Prep 55 minChill 2 hr 30 min
Cook 50 min+
Serves 6
For the cheesy shortcrust pastry250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting100g unsalted butter25g mature cheddar, grated2 egg yolks2–3 tbsp milk
For the filling50g unsalted butter
6 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced2 tbsp tarragon leaves225g watercress, trimmed, washed and sliced (discard any tough stalks)100g creme fraiche
100ml double cream
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk200g hot-smoked trout, flesh flaked25g parmesan, gratedSea salt and black pepper
Line the base of a 23cm fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin with baking paper. Make the pastry in a food processor by pulsing the flour, butter, cheese and egg yolks until well combined, then let it down with a little milk the mix comes together into a dough.
Cover with clingfilm and leave to chill and rest in the fridge for at least two hours.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 1cm thick, use it to line the prepared tin, then chill again for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Line the pastry case with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 20–25 minutes, then trim off any excess pastry. If you want to get ahead, the pastry can be made up to this point in advance and frozen.
For the custard, turn down the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the sliced spring onions, tarragon and watercress, and cook until softened and wilted. Transfer to the tart case and spread over the base.
Whisk the creme fraiche, cream, eggs and egg yolk in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Pour this over the tart filling, then top with the smoked trout flakes and the grated parmesan. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden and firm in the centre, then remove and leave to rest and cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
These recipes are edited extracts from Home Shores: 100 Simple Fish Recipes to Cook at Home, by Emily Scott, published by Quadrille at £30. To order a copy for £27, visit guardianbookshop.com
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