Sardines are a straight line between Portuguese and Sicilian cooking. Portugal grills them whole over charcoal; Sicily built an entirely different, equally beloved dish around the same little fish, with wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins and saffron.
Pasta con le sarde is a Palermo classic: fresh sardines cooked down with wild fennel, pine nuts, and golden raisins, brightened with a pinch of saffron, and tossed with pasta that has been cooked in the same fennel-scented water. Toasted breadcrumbs stand in for cheese here, which is unusual for Italian pasta but exactly right with fish.
If wild fennel fronds are not in your grocery store’s rotation, they rarely are here, a regular fennel bulb plus a handful of fresh dill gets you most of the way there, and good tinned sardines are a genuinely respectable substitute for fresh. If you love what sardines can do in a dish, do not miss our own Sardinhas Assadas (recipe on the site) for the completely different, charcoal-smoky side of the same fish.
Pasta con le Sarde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 small wild fennel bulbs with fronds, or 1 fennel bulb plus 1 cup fresh dill (see Notes)
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb fresh sardines, cleaned, butterflied and boned, or 2 cans (4.4 oz each) good-quality sardines in olive oil (see Notes)
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water 10 minutes and drained
- Pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 lb bucatini or spaghetti
- 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, toasted golden in a dry pan
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Trim the fennel and reserve the fronds. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, blanch the fennel bulb (and dill if using) 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and chop finely, reserving the cooking water for the pasta.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, saute the onion until soft, then add the anchovy fillets and mash them into the oil until dissolved.
- Add half the sardines, breaking them up as they cook, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped fennel, pine nuts, drained raisins, and saffron water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently 10 minutes, adding a splash of the reserved fennel water if it looks dry.
- Cook the pasta in the reserved fennel-scented water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding pasta water as needed to loosen, then gently fold in the remaining whole or halved sardines so they stay somewhat intact.
- Divide among plates and top generously with the toasted breadcrumbs, the traditional stand-in for cheese with fish pasta, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve right away while the breadcrumbs are still crisp.
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