Piri Piri Sardines Crispy Rice Bowl

Piri Piri Sardines Crispy Rice Bowl

  • Serves 4

  • 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tin BELA Piri Piri Sardines (use the oil)
  • 2 cups cooked rice (day-old is best, but fresh works)
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (or olive oil)
  • 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar (optional, but balances the vinegar)
  • Optional creamy base: 1–2 tbsp mayo or Greek yogurt
  • Optional toppings: scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, lime wedge
BELA sardines in extra virgin olive oil with lemon and smoke flavor

Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Lemon and Smoke Flavor -3 Pack

$15.00
Regular price
BELA sardines in extra virgin olive oil with piri-piri and smoke flavor

Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Piri Piri and Smoke Flavor - 3 Pack

$15.00
Regular price
BELA sardines in extra virgin olive oil with smoke flavor

Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Smoke Flavor - 3 Pack

$15.00
Regular price

Spicy, crunchy, cooling. the fish still leads.

Piri piri is supposed to spark the fish, not bury it. BELA Piri Piri Sardines bring heat with restraint—enough warmth to wake everything up, but not so much that the tin becomes “spicy sauce with fish in it.” That’s the BELA line. We’re fish flavor forward. No heavy, fake smoke. No loud oils that turn the fish into background noise. The sardine stays the headline. The seasoning is just the frame.

That mindset is straight out of old-world tinned fish culture—especially in Portugal, where the best tins are treated like an ingredient you respect. You open them, build around them, and let their natural richness do the work. The goal isn’t to distract your palate. It’s to reward it.

Why this recipe works

This bowl is built on contrast. Hot + cool. Crunchy + tender. Rich + bright. Crispy rice gives you that golden, toasty base that makes the sardines feel even richer. A quick cucumber pickle cools the heat and keeps the whole thing snappy. You get a full meal feeling—without cooking anything complicated.

It also scales perfectly. One bowl for lunch, or set it out “build-your-own” style for friends: crispy rice on a platter, cucumbers in a bowl, sardines on top. Done.

What it tastes like

Crunchy, savory rice with a spicy, briny bite of sardine, chased by crisp cucumber and a bright, acidic finish. It’s clean heat—not heavy—and the fish stays front and center.

How to make it and plate it

Press the rice into a thin layer, crisp it hard, then break into shards. Plate it like a snackable bowl: rice down first, sardines on top, cucumber scattered around, then a final drizzle of tin oil so it glows. Finish with herbs or scallions if you have them.

Steps

  1. Quick-pickle the cucumber: Toss cucumber with vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Let sit while you crisp the rice.

  2. Crisp the rice: Heat a nonstick pan with oil. Press rice into an even layer (about 1/2 inch thick). Cook undisturbed until deeply golden and crisp on the bottom, 6–10 minutes. Flip in sections if you want extra crisping, or just keep it one-sided and crunchy.

  3. Break + build: Break crispy rice into chunks and add to a bowl (or plate it flat for more drama).

  4. Top with fish: Add sardines on top and spoon over a little of the tin oil.

  5. Finish: Scatter pickled cucumber, add scallions/cilantro if using, and hit it with sesame seeds or a squeeze of lime.

 

Piri Piri Sardines Crispy Rice Bowl