Spaghetti con le sarde is a delicious recipe of Sicilian origin, a « primo piatto » tasty that brings together very often used ingredients in Sicilian recipes: fresh sardines, pine nuts and raisins.

There are several variations of this recipe, one would add tomato pulp with the ingredients. Some versions also offer a passage in the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking the pasta. You choose what you prefer!

In the original recipe, there are also wild fennel, but as I did not have one at home I replaced it with fennel seeds to bring the aniseed touch (and it works just as well!). Do not forget to add some toasted breadcrumbs before serving to give a crispy touch with sardines! it’s just sublime!

 La version française de cette recette se trouve ICI

 Ingredients

• 6 Fresh sardines fillets
• 400 g spaghetti
• 80 g raisins
• 80 g pine nuts
• 2 onions
• A few fennel seeds
• 4/5 mint leaves
• Powdered saffron
• 30 g breadcrumbs
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Clean sardines (remove the head, open lengthwise and remove the spine and bones) and cut sardine fillets into small cubes.
• Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes.
• Chop the onion and place in a large frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until brown and then add half a sachet of saffron that has been dissolved in a drop of water.
• Add the sardines and cook for a few minutes.
• In the mean time, in a separate pan, make dry brown pine nuts until they begin to color slightly.
• Add raisins after draining and squeezing, add pine nuts and allow them to cook for a minute whilst stirring.
• Add a few fennel seed and mint leaves
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• Boil the spaghetti in abundant salted water. Drain when al dente and draw on a plate.
• Add the garnish and serve with breadcrumbs you’ve made lightly brown in a skillet before (to be crispy).