Pasta con Le Sarde
If you're ready to bring a taste of Sicily to your table, try this Pasta con Le Sarde recipe. Combining spaghetti, sardines, anchovies, pine nuts, sultanas, and wild fennel with a touch of saffron and tomato paste, this dish is bursting with vibrant Mediterranean flavors. Prepared in under 20 minutes using simple methods, it's a quick way to enjoy a comforting and exotic meal.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 200 g sardines (7oz )
- 300 g spaghetti (10.5oz)
- Saffron
- Wild fennel leaves
- 30 g pine nuts (1oz)
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 5 Tbsp bread crumbs
- 1/2 red onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 5 anchovies
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 30 g Sultanas (1oz)
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- 1
Add saffron threads to a glass, then fill it with hot water and let it rest. For the best results, do this the day before.
- 2
Take a medium-sized pot and boil the wild fennel leaves. Then, after about 5 minutes, strain the leaves and transfer them to a small plate before chopping them into small pieces. Save the water to use later.
- 3
Add the pine nuts to a small pan and toast them on medium-low heat, until golden, then set them aside.
- 4
Heat a large pan before adding 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Then toast 5 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, stirring with a wooden spoon so they cook evenly. Once ready, set aside.
- 5
Place the frying pan back on medium-low heat and add 4-5 tablespoons of EVOO and the red onion.
- 6
Before the oil gets too hot, add a splash of water and the crushed garlic, then stir.
- 7
Add the anchovies, stirring well until they melt and disappear.
- 8
Incorporate the tomato paste, stirring to combine and add color to the dish. Add a splash of water if it dries out too quickly and slightly lower the heat if needed.
- 9
Add the chopped fennel leaves and sultanas, mixing well.
- 10
Pour in half of the saffron mixture, then gently add the sardines and cook for less than 2 minutes, stirring carefully.
- 11
Season with a small amount of salt (only if needed) and a generous crack of pepper.
- 12
When the liquid evaporates, add the rest of the saffron liquid.
- 13
Using the water from the fennel leaves, bring it to a boil (adding more water if needed and moving it to a large pot), add 1 tablespoon of rock salt and allow to dissolve. Cook your pasta according to the time noted on your pasta packet.
- 14
Scoop up a mug full of pasta water and set it aside once the pasta is almost cooked.
- 15
Strain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sardines.
- 16
Add the toasted pine nuts, toss the pasta, and add some of the reserved pasta water as needed to ensure the pasta is well coated with the luscious sauce.