Ingredients

Step by step

1. Drain the oil from the sardines, keeping 1 tablespoon to make the croquettes. Remove the backbones from the sardines, flake the flesh and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of sardine oil and the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallot and cook gently for 5 minutes, adding the chilli flakes, if using, for the final minute. Stir through 75g of the flour, cook for 1 minute, then gradually add the milk, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth sauce.
3. Increase the heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until very thick and coming away from the sides of the pan. Spoon into a bowl and fold through the flaked sardines, lemon zest, dill and some seasoning. Cover with clingfilm so that it touches the surface (to prevent a skin). Set aside for 3 hours (or overnight) in the fridge to cool and thicken further.
4. Mix the Parmesan and breadcrumbs together with some black pepper in a shallow bowl. Put the remaining 50g flour into another bowl and lightly whisk the egg in a third. Taking spoonfuls of the chilled sardine mixture, mould into 12 fat sausage-shapes. Dust them first in the flour, then coat in the egg and finally roll them in the breadcrumbs.
5. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan to 180°C using a digital thermometer (or until a small piece of bread browns in 30 seconds). Carefully lower in 3-4 croquettes at a time, fry for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper while you fry the others (remembering to reheat the oil in between batches). Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve hot with lemon wedges to squeeze over.