Sicilian Pasta with Sardines (pasta con le sarde)

A classic, must try Sicilian pasta recipe originally from Palermo, pasta with sardines is made with wild fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron. A flavorful and perfectly balanced combination of flavors and textures all in one dish!

Pasta with sardines or pasta con le sarde, a traditional Sicilian pasta dish with obvious Arabic influences. Where else would you find a combination of sardines, wild fennel, saffron, raisins and pine nuts?

The result is one of the most unique pasta dishes you have ever tried with layers of wonderful flavors and textures!

I decided to prepare this sardine pasta recipe during a recent trip to my home in Sicily (where I photographed this recipe). Here I had access to fresh local ingredients: sardines caught daily and just picked wild fennel growing in the fields in the Sicilian countryside.

Here is where I found my wild fennel growing in a corner of my cousin's garden!

Not only did I prepare this pasta dish for the first time ever, I tripled the recipe in order to feed ten of my dearest relatives. No pressure, right?

Well, let me tell you the entire bowl of pasta disappeared. In fact most of us had seconds and one cousin even went for thirds!

Why this sardine pasta recipe works

Let me tell you why my pasta with sardines was a success!

• First of all, I used fresh sardines. And yes, I know, they may not necessarily be easy to find if you don't happen to be in Sicily. So I'll list some possible substitutions and variations further below.
• Next, despite the fact that you are adding sardines, a rather strong flavored oily fish, I promise you that the result is not at all fishy!
• The flavors of this delicate pasta dish are beautifully balanced by adding raisins, saffron, pine nuts and wild fennel.
• And please do not omit the raisins! The occasional sweet bite of raisins compliments the rest of the dish perfectly. If you're apprehensive, try half the suggested amount.
• Wild fennel, which grows in fields everywhere in Sicily, adds so much flavor to this dish. However, it may be replaced with a fennel bulb and fronds if you don't have access to wild fennel.
• I stirred crispy toasted breadcrumbs in the dish and sprinkled some on each plate before serving for extra texture and flavor.

Ingredient list

• Fresh sardines: Cleaned as described in this post. May also be replaced with canned sardines in a pinch.
• Anchovy fillets: oil packed
• Pine nuts: lightly toasted
• Raisins: plumped by soaking in hot water
• Saffron
• Onion
• Wild fennel: may be replaced with a fennel bulb and fronds
• Fresh breadcrumbs: also known as muddica made from day old bread
• Olive oil
• Spaghetti: or bucatini pasta
• Salt and pepper, to taste

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.

Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the sardines

• This is in fact the longest and messiest step in this recipe!
• If possible, ask your fish monger to clean the sardines for you.
• Otherwise clean the sardines by chopping off the head, tail and dorsal fin with a pair of scissors.
• Make a cut lengthwise along the belly of the fish and rinse out the inside.
• Remove the backbone by carefully pulling it out with your fingertips. It should easily come out in one piece.
• Rinse well and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Cut each sardine into 3-4 pieces and set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Prepare the remaining ingredients

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until they begin to release their oil, brown lightly and are fragrant. Give them a rough chop or leave whole.
• In the same pan, toast the breadcrumbs until lightly browned. Pour in olive oil and stir until they are crisp and golden. Transfer to a bowl.
• Soak the raisins in a bowl with hot water and stir in the saffron so it may dissolve.

For the fennel

• Wild fennel normally requires boiling for a few minutes as it tends to be rather tough. However, I stumbled upon a small plant growing along the wall in my cousin's backyard with tender fronds and therefore I skipped this step and stirred the chopped fennel directly into my sardine sauce.
• If you boil the fennel fronds, reserve the water to cook the pasta. Give the boiled fennel a rough chop.
• If using regular fennel, chop up the bulb and sauté it along with the onion in the first step. Stir in the fronds when adding the sardine mixture to the pasta.

Assemble the dish

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente while you prepare the sardine sauce.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet large enough to add the pasta, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion. After a minute stir in the anchovy fillets and cook, stirring, until the anchovies melt into the onion mixture.
• Add the chopped sardines and cook for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
• Stir in the raisin and saffron mixture, pine nuts and most of the fennel. (I reserved a few fronds for garnishing).
• Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

• Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and add to the pan with the sardine mixture.
• Toss to coat the pasta in the sardine sauce and stir in some pasta water to loosen the sauce, if needed.
• Stir in half of the reserved crispy breadcrumbs and reserved fennel fronds.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve the pasta with sardines in individual bowls with extra breadcrumbs spooned over each dish.

Recipe Notes

Check out more Sicilian pasta recipes!

• Sicilian Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs
• Pasta with Creamy Pistachio Sauce
• Swordfish Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce
• Sicilian Lasagna
• Pasta with Cauliflower
• Sicilian Pasta al Forno
• Pistachio Pesto Shrimp Pasta
• Sicilian Maccheroni Pasta
• Annelletti al Forno with Egggplant
• Pasta with Potatoes in Tomato Sauce