I can think of few more delicious celebration of the sea, sun, and golden hills of Sicily than pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines). The combination of the region’s plentiful fresh sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, and plump dried grapes (raisins, but not like ours), topped with flavorful toasted bread crumbs has a history that dates to the 9th century when the Saracens invaded Sicily.
It’s nearly impossible to visit Palermo without trying the real thing. But not to worry, this dish is a quick and easy weeknight treat with just a few pantry staples.
fresh sardines & wild fennel not so plentiful where you live?
As for the sardines, the canned variety are an easy substitute, made easier by the unstoppable trendiness of tinned fish. For the wild fennel, I use the kind in the produce department accentuated with aniseed or fennel seeds. Those raisins and pine nuts? They’re part of the ancient agridolce flavor profile, but I won’t tell if you decide skip them. Personally, I use Zante currants for the “dolce” part of the agridolce, balanced with briny capers (non-traditional, but not as blasphemous as adding tomato).
here’s my recipe…
Annette’s Pasta con Sarde
Yields 2-4 portions
Ingredients:
for breadcrumbs:
2-Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1-cup Breadcrumbs
sea salt, to taste
for pasta & sauce:
1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta, cooked (1 cup pasta cooking water reserved) 1-Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
1-Tablespoon aniseed (or whole fennel seeds)
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1-teaspoon kosher salt
1 large bulb fennel, thinly sliced 1/4-cup white wine
2 cans sardines: remove bones, if you like, and break up into pieces (use all their oil too)
1-2 Tablespoons capers: rinsed, drained and patted dry
2-3 Tablespoons Zante currants
1/4-cup reserved pasta water 1-Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
Make the breadcrumbs:
In a 10-inch sauté pan, heat the smashed whole garlic clove in the oil. Maintain low heat to allow the garlic to infuse into the oil. When the garlic is lightly sizzling and turns pale golden, remove from heat. Discard the garlic.
Add the breadcrumbs to the warm oil. Season with salt. Return the heat, toasting the breadcrumbs over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until they are toasty golden and not burned. Remove from the hot pan immediately to prevent overcooking.
While water boils and pasta cooks:
Heat oil in deep wide sauté pan, toast the aniseeds for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the onions and salt; sweat until softened. Add fresh fennel. Sauté till softened. Deglaze with white wine.
Add sardines with all their oil, capers, and currants. Ladle a bit of the pasta water into the pan if moisture is needed. Simmer till liquid mostly evaporates.
When pasta is al dente, reserve on cup of pasta water then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce mixture.
Add some of the pasta water, as needed, to help the sauce coat the pasta (it’s also the thickener). Stir constantly until the liquid reduces and thickens into a sauce on the pasta. Add more pasta water if needed.
Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with breadcrumbs, red chile flakes, and a drizzle of really good olive oil.
Serve with a Sicilian white wine made from Grillo (gree-loh), Zibibbo (find a dry version), or Grecanico.
Photo credit: Credit:beingbonny licensed via iStockPhoto