My favourite Sicilian sardine spaghetti
50 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
I’m fully aware that this isn’t your everyday pasta, but it’s sumptuously gorgeous, and will put big smiles on people’s faces. Sardines are super cheap and something we should all embrace and eat more of – simply get your fishmonger to remove the scales, fillet them and remove the main bones, and you’re going to cook up a storm.
Ingredients
2 onions
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)
olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½–1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 lemon
4 fresh sardines, scaled, filleted and pin-boned
extra virgin olive oil
320g dried spaghetti
Top Tip
To take this dish even further (like in the picture), because it’s a Sicilian recipe it’s particularly good if you sprinkle pine nuts and breadcrumbs over the top of the raw sardines, then place under the grill for 3 to 5 minutes (depending on their size), until lovely and crispy. This adds terrific texture when you toss it all together.
Method
method