Sardines with lemon and coriander

Sardines with preserved lemon and coriander. Inspired by the flavours of North African cuisine, these sardines are best served hot. Simmer the can in a pan of boiling water for eight minutes to enjoy straight from the tin or on toast, and see the recipe tips below.

About the sardines: the sardines are caught in season, between May and November, as close as possible to Quiberon, in Brittany, where la belle-iloise is situated. The fish are artisanally prepared and canned on the day of catch. The cannery chooses fish caught using sustainable fishing methods. If less pressure on local fish stocks is called for, the cannery will source its fish from further afield where stocks are more abundant.

Recipe tip: the cannery recommends serving with couscous, rice or pasta. Or roasting some olive oil-brushed slices of potato and chopped spring onions for 20 minutes or until they soften and char, and then adding the sardines with the sauce and cooking for another 7 minutes. The cannery also recommends browning 250g of chopped seasonal vegetables in a frying pan, then adding the sardines and cooking for another two minutes. 

About la belle iloise:

The cannery was founded in the fishing port of Quiberon, Brittany in 1932 by Georges Hilliet, when he was 22 years old. Quiberon was one of France’s key sardine canning hubs, with 14 canneries located there. The cannery was simply called Établissement Georges Hilliet.

Hilliet was a firm believer in quality, artisanal production from the outset and resisted the emergence of mass retailing in the 60s, keeping faith with his own production values. He vowed he’d sooner sell his sardines from a basket on the beach than compromise on quality. The company was eventually re-named la belle-iloise, a tribute to the people of Belle-Ile - the island opposite Quiberon where the sardines are caught.

Today Hilliet’s granddaughter Caroline Hilliet Le Branchu helms the company, continuing her grandfather’s ethos of quality, sustainable production and tinned fish that melds traditional recipes with innovative flair.