Sardélles Plakí — Baked Sardines with Tomato and Herbs

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Clean and gut the fresh sardines, removing scales and heads if desired. Rinse them well under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Slice the ripe tomatoes into thin rounds. Finely chop the fresh parsley and mince the garlic cloves.

Drizzle a little Greek extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange half of the sliced tomatoes in a single layer.

Place the cleaned sardines over the tomatoes. Season generously with salt, black pepper, dried rigani, and half of the chopped parsley and minced garlic.

Cover the sardines with the remaining sliced tomatoes. Drizzle generously with the rest of the Greek extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and garlic.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sardines are cooked through and the tomatoes are tender and slightly caramelized. The fish should flake easily with a fork.

Serve immediately, straight from the baking dish, with crusty bread to soak up the delicious juices.