Name: Sicilian-Style Pasta with Sardines
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 large fennel bulb (sometimes called anise; 1¼ lb), any fronds chopped and stalks trimmed flush with bulb and discarded; ⅛ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads; ½ cup raisins; ½ cup dry white wine; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 (3¾- to 4⅜-ounce) cans sardines in oil, drained; 1 pound bucatini or spaghetti; ½ cup pine nuts, toasted; ⅓ cup dry bread crumbs, toasted and tossed with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and salt to taste

Sardine spaghetti with bread crumbs and pine nuts on a plate.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Mira Evnine

In this Sicilian-inspired pasta dish, sweet fennel and raisins team up with toasty breadcrumbs and pine nuts to bring warmth and dimension to canned sardines. White wine and saffron add a sunny floral quality that brightens the dish even more. Like many sardine recipes, this one proves that you can transform a handful of pantry ingredients into a full dinner-party-worthy meal.

Any sardines packed in oil will work here, but for the richest, most luxurious flavor, opt for sardines packed in olive oil. If you prefer a thicker, chewier pasta, reach for the bucatini, but if spaghetti is what you have, it will also work perfectly well.

What you’ll need

Sardines Packed in Olive Oil
$32 $30 At Amazon
Pine Nuts
$19 At Amazon
Saffron
$10 At Burlap and Barrel

Recipe information

Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
Makes 4 main-course servings

Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb (sometimes called anise; 1¼ lb), any fronds chopped and stalks trimmed flush with bulb and discarded

⅛ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads

½ cup raisins

½ cup dry white wine

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 (3¾- to 4⅜-ounce) cans sardines in oil, drained

1 pound bucatini or spaghetti

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

⅓ cup dry bread crumbs, toasted and tossed with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and salt to taste

Preparation

Step 1
Finely chop fennel bulb. Combine saffron, raisins, and wine in a bowl.
Step 2
Cook onion, fennel bulb, and seeds in oil with salt to taste in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fennel is tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 3
Add wine mixture and half of sardines, breaking sardines up with a fork, and simmer 1 minute.
Step 4
While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander.
Step 5
Toss hot pasta in a bowl with fennel sauce, remaining sardines, fennel fronds, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Add bread crumbs and toss again.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in the March 2002 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our favorite pasta recipes→