Grilled Sardines over Roasted Pepper Salad

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place the whole bell peppers and halved yellow onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with half the salt, and toss to coat.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the peppers are blistered and collapsed and the onion is golden at the edges. Let cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle, peel the skins from the peppers and remove the seeds. Tear the flesh into strips and place in a mixing bowl. Slice the roasted onion thinly and add to the bowl.

Mince the 3 cloves of garlic and chop the parsley. Add them to the bowl with the roasted peppers and onion.

Dress the salad with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the rest of the salt, and the black pepper. Toss gently and set aside to let the flavors marry while you grill the sardines.

Rinse the sardines and pat them very dry with paper towels. This is important — dry skin means good searing.

Mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the remaining salt, and black pepper. Rub this mixture all over the sardines, getting it into the cavities and under the skin.

Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat until smoking. Place the sardines crosswise on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. They are done when the skin is charred and the flesh pulls easily from the bone.

Divide the pepper salad among four warmed plates, spreading it out as a bed.

Lay 2 grilled sardines atop each portion of salad.

Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze juice generously over everything. Drizzle with the final 2 tablespoons of olive oil and scatter the remaining chopped parsley. Serve immediately.