Sicilian Sardine Pasta Recipe
Inspired by the original Sicilian Pasta con le Sarde, this Sardine Pasta takes its cues from California's San Joaquin Valley and presents a subtly sweet, umami-rich pasta
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: california grown, canned fish, sardines, tinned fish
Servings: 2 servings
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed or ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1 pound spaghetti
- sea salt
- 1 medium white or yellow onion paper thin slices lengthwise
- 1 fennel bulb white bulb thinly sliced cross-wise, green fronds chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 3-4 ounce cans canned sardines
- ½ cup walnuts lightly chopped
- zest from half a lemon
- optional: squeeze of fresh lemon juice at serving
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add panko breadcrumbs and crushed fennel seeds. Toss until everything is combined, coated with olive oil, and breadcrumbs are deep golden brown. Set aside breadcrumbs.
Cook pasta in a very large pot of generously salted water according to package directions. Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in same sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, fennel, garlic and sauté until translucent and garlic is fragrant, about five minutes. Do not let the garlic get dark.
Add anchovies and stir until they dissolve into the onion, fennel and garlic mixture.
Add the sardines and walnuts to the sauté pan. Stir, using wooden spoon to gently break up the sardines. Add the cooked pasta and 2 tablespoons of pasta cooking water to the pan and toss to coat the pasta with the sardines. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time to emulsify the sauce if needed.
Once the pasta is completely coated with the sauce, add lemon zest and half the breadcrumbs and toss again until evenly distributed.
Transfer pasta to serving platter or individual dishes. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds and reserved breadcrumbs.