Macaroni with sardines is a pasta of fresh sardines, anchovies and fennel, tossed with raisins, pine nuts and saffron, ready in about 55 minutes. It serves 4, and it suits a weeknight when you want something with a sweet and salty bite.
Why This Recipe Works
The sauce starts with onion fried in olive oil until golden. Then the anchovy fillets go in and melt into the oil. They season the whole sauce with a deep savory note instead of tasting fishy.
Fennel does double duty here. You cook the bulb and the leaves in lightly salted water first, then chop them roughly and stir them into the sauce. The fennel turns tender and mild, and its sweet anise flavor balances the sardines.
Raisins and pine nuts add small sweet and nutty bites, and the saffron turns the sauce a warm yellow. The raisins cut through the salty fish, so every forkful tastes balanced rather than heavy.
Macaroni with Sardines Ingredients
For the sauce
- 6 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)
- 14 ounces fresh sardines
- 1 large fennel bulb
- 1 packet saffron powder or a pinch of saffron strands
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 ounces raisins
- 1 ounce pine nuts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the pasta
- 13 ounces dried macaroni or bucatini
How To Make Macaroni with Sardines
Prepare the fish and fennel
- Soak the anchovies: If your anchovies are salted, soak them in water for 30 minutes to draw out the extra salt. Pat them dry on paper towels and pull out any large bones. Anchovies packed in oil can skip the soak.
- Clean the sardines: Cut off the heads and tails, then slit each sardine open along the belly. Rinse them well and lift out the black bones, so the sauce has no bitter bits.
- Cook the fennel: Trim the fennel and cut the bulb into quarters. Simmer the bulb and the leaves in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes, until tender. Lift them out and keep the cooking water for the pasta.
- Chop and steep: Let the fennel cool a little, then chop it roughly. If you have saffron strands, steep them in 2 tablespoons of boiling water until the water turns deep yellow.
Make the sauce
- Fry the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet. Fry the chopped onion until it turns golden, which brings out its sweetness.
- Melt the anchovies: Add the anchovies and let them soften into the oil. Stir now and then so they break down and flavor the whole pan.
- Add the sardines: Add the sardines and cook for a few more minutes. Stir gently so the fillets stay in pieces.
- Bring it together: Stir in the fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron, using the powder or the strained steeping liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly until the sauce is smooth and coats the pan.
Cook the pasta and toss
- Boil the pasta: While the sauce cooks, boil the macaroni in the fennel water for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Add more water and salt if the pot runs low. Drain.
- Toss and serve: Tip the pasta into the skillet and toss it in the sauce until every piece is coated. Serve right away while it is hot.
Recipe Tips
- Buy very fresh sardines: Only make this dish with very fresh sardines. They should smell of the sea and look shiny. Older fish will taste strong and muddy the sauce.
- Ask the fishmonger: Your fishmonger can clean and butterfly the sardines for you. That saves the messiest part of the recipe.
- Save the fennel water: Cook the pasta in the fennel cooking water. It carries a gentle anise flavor into the macaroni. Add a splash to the skillet if the sauce looks dry.
- Toast the pine nuts: A minute in a dry skillet makes the pine nuts crunchier and nuttier. Watch them closely, since they burn fast.
What To Serve With Macaroni with Sardines
Serve this macaroni hot, straight from the skillet, with a lemon wedge on the side. A simple salad of bitter greens and a glass of crisp white wine fit well next to it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container for up to 2 days. Fresh fish is best eaten soon.
- Reheat: Warm it gently in a skillet with a splash of water until hot all the way through.
- Freezer: The pasta turns soft after thawing, so this dish is better eaten fresh than frozen.
FAQs
Can I use canned sardines instead of fresh?
You can in a pinch. Drain them well and add them at the very end, just to warm through, since they are already cooked. The sauce will taste stronger and less delicate than with fresh fish.
Do I have to use anchovies?
The anchovies melt into the oil and give the sauce its savory depth, so the dish tastes flatter without them. If you skip them, add a little extra salt and taste as you go.
Can I use saffron strands instead of powder?
Yes. Steep a pinch of strands in 2 tablespoons of boiling water. When the water turns deep yellow, strain it and stir the liquid into the sauce. Strands give a more subtle, floral flavor than powder.
How do I keep the sardines from falling apart?
Cook them for only a few minutes and stir gently. The fillets are tender and will break into flakes if you stir hard or cook them too long. Small flakes still taste good in the sauce.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 720 kcal
- Total Fat: 30g
- Total Carbohydrate: 82g
- Dietary Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 30g
Macaroni with Sardines
4
servings25
minutes30
minutes55
minutesPasta with fresh sardines, anchovies and tender fennel, tossed with raisins, pine nuts and saffron. A sweet and savory dinner for 4 that comes together in under an hour.
Ingredients
- For the sauce
6 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)
14 ounces fresh sardines
1 large fennel bulb
1 packet saffron powder or a pinch of saffron strands
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 ounces raisins
1 ounce pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the pasta
13 ounces dried macaroni or bucatini
Directions
- Soak the anchovies: If your anchovies are salted, soak them in water for 30 minutes to draw out the extra salt. Pat them dry on paper towels and pull out any large bones. Anchovies packed in oil can skip the soak.
- Clean the sardines: Cut off the heads and tails, then slit each sardine open along the belly. Rinse them well and lift out the black bones, so the sauce has no bitter bits.
- Cook the fennel: Trim the fennel and cut the bulb into quarters. Simmer the bulb and the leaves in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes, until tender. Lift them out and keep the cooking water for the pasta.
- Chop and steep: Let the fennel cool a little, then chop it roughly. If you have saffron strands, steep them in 2 tablespoons of boiling water until the water turns deep yellow.
- Fry the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet. Fry the chopped onion until it turns golden, which brings out its sweetness.
- Melt the anchovies: Add the anchovies and let them soften into the oil. Stir now and then so they break down and flavor the whole pan.
- Add the sardines: Add the sardines and cook for a few more minutes. Stir gently so the fillets stay in pieces.
- Bring it together: Stir in the fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron, using the powder or the strained steeping liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly until the sauce is smooth and coats the pan.
- Boil the pasta: While the sauce cooks, boil the macaroni in the fennel water for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Add more water and salt if the pot runs low. Drain.
- Toss and serve: Tip the pasta into the skillet and toss it in the sauce until every piece is coated. Serve right away while it is hot.
