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Sardines Mchermla (Pan-Fried Sardines Marinated in Spicy Dersa and Vinegar)
Crispy, semolina-crusted butterflied sardines sandwiched with a pungent, vinegar-spiked garlic and chili dersa paste.
The story
Along the rugged coastlines of Algiers, Annaba, and Jijel, Sardines Mchermla remains the quintessential working-class dockside meal served fresh off morning trawlers. Families sandwich two butterflied fillets around fiery dersa paste before dredging them in semolina, a technique designed to lock moisture inside the fatty fish. The bright slash of vinegar cut through the rich bluefish oils, historically acting as a natural preservative in coastal heat.
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