Pasta con le Sarde (Sicilian Pasta with Sardines and Anchovies)
By Andrea GearyPublished on April 2, 2024
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If your fennel bulb doesn't have fronds, you may omit them or substitute chopped parsley. Inexpensive sardines can be overly fishy-tasting; for the best flavor, use high-quality sardines.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water is coming to boil, heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced fennel, onion, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. While aromatics are cooking, flake half of sardines with fork.
- Add wine, raisins, anchovies, lemon juice, and pepper flakes to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until skillet is almost dry, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Off heat, add fennel mixture and all sardines to pasta and stir gently until pasta is well coated and intact sardines have broken into ½-inch pieces, about 15 seconds. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer to 4 shallow bowls, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, sprinkle with pine nuts and fennel fronds, and serve.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
To make a weeknight version of Sicily's pasta con le sarde, we started by cooking down thinly sliced fennel and chopped onion in olive oil until soft, lightly browned, and sweet. Raisins, a traditional component, augmented that sweetness. The acidity of wine and lemon juice provided balance, and anchovies melted into the mixture, introducing a savory note. We withheld the sardines until adding the spaghetti to ensure that they wouldn't overcook. Flaking half of the sardines meant that every strand of pasta would be imbued with marine flavor, and leaving the rest intact provided satisfyingly meaty bites. We sprinkled toasted pine nuts over the top for crunch and richness and added fennel fronds for freshness, fragrance, and color.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
If your fennel bulb doesn't have fronds, you may omit them or substitute chopped parsley. Inexpensive sardines can be overly fishy-tasting; for the best flavor, use high-quality sardines.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water is coming to boil, heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced fennel, onion, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. While aromatics are cooking, flake half of sardines with fork.
- Add wine, raisins, anchovies, lemon juice, and pepper flakes to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until skillet is almost dry, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Off heat, add fennel mixture and all sardines to pasta and stir gently until pasta is well coated and intact sardines have broken into ½-inch pieces, about 15 seconds. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer to 4 shallow bowls, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, sprinkle with pine nuts and fennel fronds, and serve.
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