Pasta with sardines: the secret of the original Sicilian recipe explained step by step for guaranteed success.
Discover how to prepare Sicily’s signature first course, an explosion of flavors with wild fennel, saffron and the freshest sardines.
A practical guide to bringing authentic tradition to the table with the perfect crunchy touch of toasted breadcrumbs (“muddica atturrata”).
This first course captures the soul of Sicily in a perfect balance of sea, land and crunch.
The best period to find sardines in our seas is from March to September.
Thought for you:
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
- Energy 513.17 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 52.45 (g) of which sugars 9.31 (g)
- Proteins 26.20 (g)
- Fat 22.72 (g) of which saturated 3.44 (g)of which unsaturated 7.87 (g)
- Fibers 4.90 (g)
- Sodium 966.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients Pasta with sardines
Only a few simple ingredients are needed for this dish
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 7/8 cup breadcrumbs (finely crumbled)
- 14 oz sardines (gross weight)
- 9 oz wild fennel (fennel fronds)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 3 tbsp raisins (seedless)
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 1 sachet saffron
- 1/4 cup onion (chopped)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste chili flakes (if you like)
- 11 oz spaghetti (or bucatini; at most linguine)
Pasta with sardines
Tools Pasta with sardines
Only a few tools for this recipe
- 1 Knife
- 2 Pots
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Colander
- 1 Slotted spoon
Steps Pasta with sardines
I invite you to watch the video above
For pasta with sardines, clean and wash the sardines well (or ask your fishmonger to clean them for you!):
remove the heads and open the fish like a book, then remove the central bone and cut the fillets into 4-5 pieces.
Remove the toughest parts from the wild fennel, wash it thoroughly and then …
blanch it for 5 minutes in plenty of salted water, then drain and immediately pass it under cold water to keep the bright green color and set aside, reserving the cooking water.
Soak the raisins in cold water for 15 minutes.
Chop the onion, put it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and let it soften,
then add the anchovies and mash them well until they dissolve in the hot oil.
At this point, add the pine nuts and the raisins,
and the wild fennel..
Mix very well
Now add the tomato paste and the sachet of saffron diluted in a tablespoon of hot water.
Add a little of the reserved wild fennel cooking water.Cook everything for about 10 minutes. Only at the end, and only if necessary, add salt.
In a very hot pan, toast the breadcrumbs with very little oil until they are golden and crunchy.
Cook the bucatini (or spaghetti) in the reserved wild fennel cooking water, adjusting salt if necessary.
If needed, add more water.
As soon as they are al dente, drain them immediately
and dress them with the sardine sauce, tossing over high heat.
Sprinkle the pasta with sardines with the muddica atturrata and enjoy.
Storage
Pasta with sardines: The sauce without the muddica atturrata, if the fish was fresh, can be stored up to 2 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
As for the wild fennel, click here to see how you can preserve it all year round.
Attention: if you want to store the finished dish for the next day, do not dress it with the muddica atturrata; add the toasted breadcrumbs only at serving time.
Tips
For pasta with sardines, an excellent pairing is a Solandia Grillo Chardonnay Sicilia DOC. Its acidity balances the fattiness of the fish, while its mineral notes recall the flavors of the sea.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Pasta with sardines
How can I have wild fennel all year round?
Follow my tutorial for the different ways you can preserve it, click here.
Pasta with sardines
