Linguine with Sardines, Fennel & Tomato
Toss the pasta with the sauce, top with breadcrumbs and fennel fronds, and voila!
Linguine, canned tomatoes, sardines, vermouth, breadcrumbs, garlic, chili flakes, fennel and lemon.
First step: toast the breadcrumbs. We used panko.
Lastnightdinner has you start the sauce with some of the oil from the sardine can. We'd never done this before!
Our mandoline made quick work of the fennel and gave us delicate, even slices.
A little garlic -- we thought next time we might try adding it later on, so that it wouldn't color as much.
We just softened the fennel before continuing with the sauce.
Then we added the chili flakes and squeezed the canned tomatoes into the pan, adding their juices too.
Once the sauce had reduced slightly, it was time for one of our favorite ingredients: vermouth.
The sardines go in towards the end, and it's important not to break them up too much -- you want some nice chunks.
A little lemon juice...
While the lemon zest goes in with the breadcrumbs.
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Author Notes: Though some of you probably can’t imagine sardines being a crave-worthy food, I’ve been completely smitten with them since my first taste (a long-ago birthday dinner at Prune restaurant in NYC, where my husband and I shared a starter of sardines with Triscuits, mustard and cornichons). These days we’ve always got a few tins in the pantry at home, so it’s easy to put together one of our favorite weeknight dinners – linguine with sardines, fennel, and tomato, my version of a classic pasta dish known as “Linguine con Sarde.” The sweet, slightly caramelized fennel and the bright tomatoes and lemon work really well with the rich flavor of the sardines, and the crunchy breadcrumb topping makes for a fun textural contrast. Think you don’t like sardines? This simple pasta dish just might make you change your mind. (Note: It goes without saying you should use the best quality wild-caught tinned sardines you can find. Some of our favorites are Wild Planet, Cole's, MorGaDa, and BELA-Olhão, all of which I’ve used and any of which work well here. Also, tiny fresh tomatoes are a wonderful replacement for canned during the summer months - Super Sweet 100s, left whole, or halved small cherry varieties work beautifully. Just add a pint or so to the pan in step 3 and let them cook until softened.) - lastnightsdinner - lastnightsdinner
Food52 Review: When we tasted lastnightsdinner's rich, sea-infused pasta, our first thought was: "It's amazing that you can make something that tastes this good using fish from a can!" This simple, pantry dinner (the only thing you may have to shop for is the fennel) packs a punch with just a few ingredients. Perfectly al dente strands of pasta are tossed lightly in a sauce of garlic, fennel, tomato, lemon and vermouth, studded with briny bits of sardine; the oil from the canned sardines enriches the sauce, and a shower of lemony toasted breadcrumbs brightens the dish. We found it challenging to caramelize the fennel without burning the garlic; if you'd like, you can add the garlic after you've sauteed the fennel. - A&M - A&M
Serves 2-4
- Kosher or sea salt
- 1 tin sardines packed in olive oil (about 4 ¼ oz.)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed, and roughly chopped
- 1 small or ½ large bulb fennel, fronds reserved
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, or more to taste
- 1 cup canned peeled tomatoes with their juice, gently crushed
- 2 ounces white (dry) vermouth
- 1 medium lemon, juice and zest
- 1/3 cup toasted bread crumbs
- 3/4 pounds dry linguine
- Bring a very large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Open the sardine tin and drain a tablespoon or so of the oil into a wide skillet (the amount of oil in the tin will vary by brand, so add additional extra virgin olive oil if necessary to make up a tablespoon). Warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the garlic, cooking until fragrant.
- Trim the fennel and slice the bulb very thinly (a mandoline works great here). Add to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt, raise the heat to medium, and cook until the fennel is soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the chile flakes and let them sizzle for a minute, just until fragrant, then add the tomatoes with their juice. Cook until the liquid is reduced, then add the vermouth and let that reduce slightly.
- Add the sardines to the skillet with the tomato and fennel mixture, breaking up slightly but leaving some chunks. Zest the lemon and combine a tablespoon or so of zest with the toasted breadcrumbs, then set aside. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the pan. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
- Add the linguine to the boiling salted water, cooking it until it is just short of al dente. Using tongs, transfer the linguine to the sauce to finish cooking, adding a little bit of the starchy pasta water and tossing gently to combine. (You'll want to leave this a little wet, as the breadcrumbs will soak up the sauce and dry the pasta out a bit once you've added them.)
- Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large warmed serving bowl (or individual pasta bowls), add a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle on the toasted breadcrumb-lemon zest mixture, and garnish with picked small fennel fronds and the remaining lemon zest.
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Tags: Easy
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3 months ago midnitechef
:)
3 months ago ginampen
Great recipe! Made it last night and it was a hit, I would not change a thing.
3 months ago Einat
i am a new comer to this group. made this pasta yesterday - i think it may be the best pasta i ever made. exchanged vermot for pastis to enhance the anise taste... wow.
3 months ago ChefManuela
This is a simplified Pasta con le Sarde, so popular now.
Should add pineseed, raisin and a bit of sugar (this the only pasta where italians would add sugar!) can you find "finocchietto selvatico" tip of wild fennel plant ?. That is a must. Forget the vermouth then.
www.cooking-class-authentic...
5 months ago JackieP
deee-lish! just made this tonight and was very satisfied w/the results! i truly fell in love with sardines (and anchovies, etc) while on my honeymoon in Spain nearly a year and a half ago, but have never thought to try to cook them myself. so 2013 presents an opportunity to start diversifying my cooking repertoire, and this did the trick! i also find the combo of flavors so interesting and lovely: first the lemon, then the fennel and maybe the vermouth, then the kick of red pepper at the end! i actually used fresh sardines (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound) and used regular olive oil for cooking. sardines are pretty fishy no matter how you slice them, but maybe for those who are sensitive to it, try fresh ones. they are more expensive than the tin version, but as fresh fish goes, they are still pretty cheap.
9 months ago Tina Marisa
A very refined version of my late mother-in-law's home version. She, from inland Southwestern Sicily, would lightly stuff the sardines with a bread/pinenut/raisin mixture and then fry them with wild fennel and olive oil and garlic. Breadcrumbs were a must (the pauper's grated cheese) but there were neither tomatoes or lemon in hers. I welcome the added zest and shall try this version anon.
9 months ago Tina Marisa
A very refined version of my late mother-in-law's home version. She, from inland Southwestern Sicily, would lightly stuff the sardines with a bread/pinenut/raisin mixture and then fry them with wild fennel and olive oil and garlic. Breadcrumbs were a must (the pauper's grated cheese) but there were neither tomatoes or lemon in hers. I welcome the added zest and shall try this version anon.
10 months ago Emily_JK
this was a wondrously easy dinner. subbed a splash of vodka for the vermouth and it all worked out great!
11 months ago TayEvs
I made this last night and unfortunately we had to scrap it and have salad for dinner. I quite enjoy grilled sardines and I was of the though that all the flavor from the fennel would help mellow the fish flavor out, but quite the opposite seemed to happen. The dish's fish flavor was far too potent. I'm wondering if it's possible I did something wrong, but if not than I would not recommend this recipe unless you are a die hard sardine lover.
12 months ago Brunella
I made this this last week and everyone loved it. The flavors are so clean and fresh, the fennel adds a nice twist to the dish. I haven't had a sardine for over 20 years, I have a new appreciation for the little fish!
about 1 year ago Eric W
Made this for my wife, who initially turned her nose up at sardines. It was excellent. I used whole wheat pasta, and it really very healthy.
about 1 year ago LDeuben
This recipe was delicious. My husband and I just moved to Norway where canned fish is plentiful and everything else is astronomically expensive! And so, this was the perfect meal for our first dinner guests at our new home in Oslo. When I was completing the preparation of the dish it looked so good that I skipped the part about adding some additional pasta. This was a mistake because by the time it was served, the dish was a bit dry. Other than that, it was outstanding will be added to my regular fare for dinner parties in Norway!
over 1 year ago Loke
Made this the other day and loved it. I used a can of Cento sardines and I will say they were a little too fishy. Next time I will try and find a better tin, decrease the lemon juice a tad and use fresh conquese plum tomato. I served it with a little pasta water, crushed red pepper and olive oil as a the condiments. Definitely will try this again.
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
sorry for the spam...I thought it hadn't posted so I kept clicking add:(
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
Made this for dinner tonight..my husband doesn't like Fennel but it grows wild in my garden (thanks to having planted it like 5 years ago) so I decided to add it anyway when making this. SUCCESS! This was wonderful! I accidentally used Pernod instead of vermouth but apparently it was a happy accident because it was delicious! I've pinned this on pinterest and already I'm getting lots of repins and likes, it tastes as good as it sounded!
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
Made this for dinner tonight..my husband doesn't like Fennel but it grows wild in my garden (thanks to having planted it like 5 years ago) so I decided to add it anyway when making this. SUCCESS! This was wonderful! I accidentally used Pernod instead of vermouth but apparently it was a happy accident because it was delicious! I've pinned this on pinterest and already I'm getting lots of repins and likes, it tastes as good as it sounded!
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
Made this for dinner tonight..my husband doesn't like Fennel but it grows wild in my garden (thanks to having planted it like 5 years ago) so I decided to add it anyway when making this. SUCCESS! This was wonderful! I accidentally used Pernod instead of vermouth but apparently it was a happy accident because it was delicious! I've pinned this on pinterest and already I'm getting lots of repins and likes, it tastes as good as it sounded!
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
Made this for dinner tonight..my husband doesn't like Fennel but it grows wild in my garden (thanks to having planted it like 5 years ago) so I decided to add it anyway when making this. SUCCESS! This was wonderful! I accidentally used Pernod instead of vermouth but apparently it was a happy accident because it was delicious! I've pinned this on pinterest and already I'm getting lots of repins and likes, it tastes as good as it sounded!
over 1 year ago MoLiver4u
Made this for dinner tonight..my husband doesn't like Fennel but it grows wild in my garden (thanks to having planted it like 5 years ago) so I decided to add it anyway when making this. SUCCESS! This was wonderful! I accidentally used Pernod instead of vermouth but apparently it was a happy accident because it was delicious! I've pinned this on pinterest and already I'm getting lots of repins and likes, it tastes as good as it sounded!
over 1 year ago student epicure
just finished eating this for dinner and it was delicious! (my fiance is currently eating a second bowl!) totally converted to sardines -- i used some smoked ones, on the recommendation of my father. the only change i'd make when i make it again is to decrease the lemon juice -- it was just on the sour side for me.