Spaghetti con Sarde e Capperi

This rustic pasta dish, which hails from the island of Sicily, is built on a set of punchy flavors: sardines [1], capers, garlic, and herbs. This recipe utilizes canned sardines, but not all canned sardines are created equal—try to find a high-quality, sustainably fished product packed in olive oil [2]!

Ingredients

½ lb spaghetti
2 cans sardines, drained
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp capers
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 cup coarse breadcrumbs
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
Olive oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add half a pound of spaghetti to the pot and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. For most spaghetti, this should take about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic, minced shallots, and optional red pepper flakes to the pan. Fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the drained sardines to the pan, together with the capers. Cook for 2 minutes, gently breaking up the sardines with a spatula—we want there to be recognizable chunks of fish in the final dish.

While the sardines cook, zest the lemon and reserve the zest for later. Then cut the lemon in half, juicing half of the lemon and cutting the remaining half into wedges for service. Add the lemon zest, juice, and half of the chopped parsley to the pan with the sardines. Gently stir, then remove the fish mixture from the heat and set aside.

Next up are the breadcrumbs. Toasting the breadcrumbs to make them crispy will add texture to the dish, and will also help the dish soak up more of the sauce. In a second clean pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and toast them, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and crisp. Stir in the chopped parsley, remove the breadcrumb mixture from the heat, and set aside.

By the time the breadcrumbs are done, the pasta should almost be ready. When the spaghetti is al dente, drain it and add it to the pan with the sardine mixture. Return this pan to low heat, drizzle over 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil [3] and toss the pasta in the sauce until well coated. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then plate the pasta and top with the crispy breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.

Substitutions

Bucatini or angel hair pasta can be substituted for spaghetti in this dish, and oil-packed canned tuna can be substituted for the canned sardines. You can also use a fresh chopped chili instead of dried red pepper flakes.

[1] The common term “sardine” is an ambiguous one, referring to 21 distinct species of small oily fish.

[2] Refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for up-to-date recommendations on which sardines meet sustainability standards.

[3] Virgin olive oils, which are extracted mechanically and without additional refinement, are more flavorful than refined olive oils, but have a lower smoke point. For these reasons, virgin oils are best employed as condiments or as finishing oils. Extra virgin olive oil is required to have a free acidity of less than 0.8%.

Recipe

Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 15 min Total Time: 20 min

Difficulty: 2/5

Heat Sources: 3 burners

Equipment: pot, 2 pans

Servings: 4

Ingredients

½ lb spaghetti
2 cans sardines, drained
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp capers
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 cup coarse breadcrumbs
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
Olive oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic, minced shallots, and optional red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.

3. Add the sardines and capers to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, gently breaking up the sardine fillets with a spatula.

4. Zest the lemon, then cut it in half. Juice half of the lemon, then cut the remaining half into wedges for service.

5. Add the lemon zest, juice, and half of the chopped parsley to the pan, stir in, then remove from the heat and set aside.

6. In a second clean pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir the remaining chopped parsley into the breadcrumbs, remove from the heat, and set aside.

7. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the sardines. Drizzle over 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, toss over low heat to coat the pasta, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

8. Plate the pasta, top generously with breadcrumbs, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.