Sardine and fennel pasta

A traditional Mediterranean classic, “Pasta con le sarde” is a Sicilian dish of pasta with sardines. It is recognized as a traditional Italian food product in the Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale scheme of the Italian government. It is most associated with Sicily’s capital Palermo, but it can be found all over the island.

The principal ingredients are olive oil, onions, pasta and a finely chopped mixture of sardines and anchovy. Various types of pasta are used for the dish, but bucatini is traditional. Wild fennel, saffron, pine nuts, raisins and salt are added to flavour the dish. To finish the dish it is topped with toasted breadcrumbs. Fresh sardines are preferable, but if these are not available canned sardines can be used. Wild fennel is plentiful in Sicily, but might be hard to find elsewhere; if unobtainable, the tops of ordinary fennel may be used instead.

Some variations use tomato sauce. Cookbook author Pino Correnti argues that the tomato-less recipe published in 1886 by the folklorist Giuseppe Pitrè is the only authentic version. Source: Wiki

If you’re a fan of sardines, you’ll love this Sardine and fennel pasta.