Pasta con le Sarde: Pasta with Sardines

5 from 20 votes

This recipe for Pasta con le Sarde is a easy twist on the Sicilian classic, and features bucatini pasta with sardines and fennel.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 563kcal

½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup dried currants, raisins, or golden raisins Use ½ cup for a sweeter pasta
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
pinch saffron (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
¾ cup breadcrumbs
1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
1 onion, diced
½ medium-sized fennel, bulb cored + diced, fronds roughly diced, stalks discarded. (You should have approximately ¾ cup of diced fennel bulb.) See Recipe Notes
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 anchovy fillets
¼ cup pine nuts
8 ounces sardines (2 cans), oil drained King Oscar Brisling Sardines (Cross-Pack) recommended

Heat wine in a small saucepan (or in the microwave) until it begins steaming (but not boiling). Remove from heat.
Add currants, red pepper flakes, and saffron (if using) to the wine. Set aside.

Add 1 TB olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add fennel seeds and breadcrumbs, and stir until breadcrumbs are toasted and the spices are fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add the bucatini.
Boil until al dente (about 6 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and remove pasta from the heat.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat in the large pan.
Add the diced onion, fennel bulb (not fronds), and salt. Cook about 8 minutes, until the onion and fennel have softened.
Add garlic and anchovies, and stir until the anchovies dissolve (about 2-3 minutes).
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the reserved wine mixture to the pan, and simmer until most (but not all) of the wine has boiled off. (Stir often.)
Add the pine nuts and sardines. Stir gently for about 2 minutes, or until the fish is heated through. Remove from heat.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to incorporate. If the sauce seems dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. (I usually add at least one splash of pasta water, sometimes two, when cooking this meal.)
Tip: If you forgot to reserve pasta water, add a splash of white wine to the sauce instead (not tap water).
Add the reserved breadcrumbs to the pasta, and toss again.
Serve immediately, making sure to evenly distribute the sardines, pine nuts, and currants. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

This recipe makes 6 small servings, or 4 generous servings. It is easily halved for a smaller batch.

How to Prepare Fennel:

Bulb: This is the bottom, round part of the veggie. Cut off (and reserve) the stalks and fronds. Cut the bulb in half, and then in half again. Cut out the tough inner core, and dice the bulb.
Fronds: These are the lacy parts attached to the stalk that look like dill. Remove these from the stalks, and roughly dice.
Stalks: These are the long, thin pieces coming up from the bulb that look a little like celery. After you've removed the fronds, discard the stalks.