One of my culinary heroines, Martha Stewart, tells us "a can of sardines keeps the doctor away". I'm all for keeping the doctor away so I thought I'd try the sardines.  I've never actually eaten them before and was a little tentative.  I might add its' SOOOOOOOOO hot here at the moment the thought of putting the oven on sends me into a panic so opening a can seemed a sensible thing to do. The only appliance I'm interested in is the fridge which I'm considering climbing into.  I'm British and absolutely not a hot house flower, I like a gentle drizzle and light mist, not searing heat into the 100's.

I digress, back to the sardines, once I had plucked up the courage to try the first nibble there was no stopping me.  The zingy vinaigrette complimented them very nicely, Martha suggested adding some golden raisins which would have been lovely if only I had some in the pantry.  I thought perhaps a slice or two of avocado or a sprinkling of pine nuts might be nice and of course I added copious amounts of fresh herbs from the garden. The only catch in my view is make sure you take out those pesky little backbones. Those withstanding I can see this could become a staple lunch or light supper when turning on the oven is simply not an option.

Sardine Salad and Zingy Citrus Vinaigrette.

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart

For the vinaigrette:

Zest and juice of a lemon

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon good quality honey

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

6-8 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:

1 can of sardines, drained of oil

Salad greens of your choice

Fresh herbs, such as oregano, parsley, basil, lemon thyme

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts (optional)

Cherry tomatoes

Sliced avocado

A scattering of golden raisins (optional)

To make the dressing, mix together the mustard, honey, salt, pepper, lemon juice, zest and vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time until fully emulsified, taste to check if you need a little more oil, salt or pepper.

If using toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden, set aside.

Arrange the salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, avocado on a large plate, place the sardines on top and scatter over the pine nuts and raisins.  Drizzle over the vinaigrette and serve.