Spaghetti With Sardines Recipes

SICILIAN PASTA WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
• Open the sardines, drain the olive oil into a frying pan, and set the sardines aside.
• Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add the breadcrumbs (see below), season lightly with salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are lightly toasted and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the crumbs to a plate and set aside.
• Return the pan to the stove and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and lightly caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the sardines, break them apart gently and cook just long enough to heat through, 2 minutes.
• Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, crushed red pepper, and capers. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain and return to the pan.
• Add the sardine mixture along with half of the reserved cooking liquid to the pasta. Toss to combine, adjust the seasoning and add a little more liquid if needed.
• Add the garlic-toasted breadcrumbs, toss again and serve immediately.
• Note: This recipe can easily be doubled.

PASTA CON SARDE (PASTA WITH SARDINES)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente, or 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and keep warm.
• Place another 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook just until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sardines, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. If necessary to give the mixture a crumbly texture, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and pepper, and remove from the heat. If desired, serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

PASTA DE SARDINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for about 8 minutes, or until almost tender.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the sardines with their sauce. When the sardines heat through, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
• When the pasta is almost done, drain, and add it to the sardine sauce. Stir, cover, and turn the heat off. Let stand for a few minutes to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Squeeze juice from the lemon over the pasta. Divide onto serving plates, and top with red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan cheese.

SARDINE SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Halve 2 large ripe tomatoes (200g total), scoop out and discard the seeds, then place in a blender. Add 1 x 120g tin of sardine fillets (and their oil), then blitz until super-smooth, adding a splash of water to loosen, if needed.
• Roughly slice 200g of baby spinach, then place in a large colander in the sink.
• Cook 300g of wholewheat spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
• Pick and reserve any leafy tops from 1 bulb of fennel, then very finely slice the stalks and bulb, ideally on a mandolin (use the guard!). Add the fennel to the spaghetti pan for the last few minutes of cooking.
• Reserving a mugful of cooking water, drain the spaghetti and fennel over the spinach in the colander, so that the spinach starts to wilt. Return the pasta, fennel and spinach to the pan, and toss with the sardine sauce.
• Squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon, loosening with a splash of cooking water, if needed.
• Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, finely grate over 20g of ricotta salata (see ingredient note below) and a little lemon zest, then sprinkle over any reserved fennel tops and 1 pinch of dried chilli flakes.
• Cut the remaining lemon into wedges for squeezing over, then serve immediately.