Buying and lighting calculator · Fish and seafood
How much sardines do I buy and when do I light?
Sardines are bought whole, at roughly 16 to 20 per kilo for medium ones, and grilled as they are, head and backbone included. That explains the portion: you eat a little over half the weight, so for 170 g of flesh on the plate we buy about 310 g raw, around five sardines per person. In the kamado they are a direct-heat, short-time fish: about 8 minutes in total at 250 °C, left alone until they release from the grate. The fresher the sardine, the better it handles the coals; if they are large or thick, add a minute or two. No resting: eat them hot, with coarse salt and lemon.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for about 1.26 kg of very fresh, medium-sized whole sardines; have them gutted if you prefer.
A whole sardine yields little more than half: 310 g raw leaves about 170 g of flesh on the plate. the flesh is white and firm and lifts off the backbone.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How many sardines per person?
As a main, about five medium sardines per person, which is roughly 310 g raw and leaves about 170 g of flesh. As a starter, count half. If they are small, go up to six or seven each. Plan on them disappearing fast at the table.
How long do sardines take in the kamado?
About 8 minutes in total at 250 °C over direct heat: four on one side without touching them, then three or four on the other. If they are very fat, add a minute or two. They are done when the flesh is white and firm and lifts off the backbone.
Do you grill sardines gutted or whole?
Whole, as long as they are very fresh, since they are grilled with the innards and a tired sardine tastes bitter. If in doubt, have them gutted. Head and backbone stay on the plate, which is why we buy 310 g for 170 g of flesh.
Other Fish and seafood cuts
- Portion-size whole fish (sea bream, sea bass, trout)
- Large whole fish (sea bass or sea bream, 1-1.5 kg)
- Salmon (fillet)
- Bluefin tuna (loin)
- Octopus
- Large prawns (gambones)
- Cuttlefish
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".