Sicilian style smelt

You can experiment with the fish in this recipe by replacing the smelt with another species. Any fish in this "environment" will be delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 kg medium smelt
• 200 g white sourdough bread
• 100 g anchovy fillet in oil
• 30 g pine nuts
• 30 g small raisins
• 1 lemon
• 1 medium bunch of parsley
• 6-7 bay leaves
• olive oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Remove the crusts from the bread, cut the crumb, put it in a food processor or blender, and turn it into crumbs. Toast the crumbs in a little olive oil, 5 minutes. Place 2/3 of the crumbs in a bowl.
2. Chop the parsley finely. Chop the anchovies. Add raisins, pine nuts, parsley, and anchovies to the toasted crumbs in a bowl.
3. Remove the heads and entrails from the smelt, open each fish like a book and remove the ridge, but do not tear it in half.
4. Stuff the smelt with minced meat and roll each fish into a roll. Arrange the sardines tightly in a baking dish, side by side, with bay leaves in between.
5. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining bread crumbs, sprinkle some more oil, and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove fish from oven, garnish with lemon slices and serve.