Bucatini With Sardines & Caramelized Fennel
This is sort of a simplified version of pasta con le sarde, a Sicilian dish that blends fennel and sardines with a flurry of other pantry ingredients, spinning any old tin of sardines into a pasta that would be worth traveling for. Some versions include pine nuts, capers and currants. I personally like the sweetness of yellow raisins, and if you chop them before adding, their subtle sweetness will be distributed throughout the dish. I also like to double down on the flavors and textures of fennel, mincing some to cook with the onions and garlic, caramelizing a few wedges and topping the whole thing with fennel seed-flavored breadcrumbs and plenty of lacy green fronds.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 anchovy fillets, minced
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 large fennel bulb, root end trimmed,
- fronds trimmed and reserved
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup yellow raisins, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 pound bucatini
- 2 (3−4 ounce) cans sardines in olive oil, drained
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, add a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies and stir until they begin to break down and dissolve into the oil. Stir in the panko and fennel seeds. Cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until the breadcrumbs turn light brown.
- Remove from the heat, and use a spatula or slotted spoon to transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Wash a big handful of the fennel fronds and wrap gently in a dish towel to dry. Coarsely chop and set aside.
- Remove the outer 3 or 4 layers of the fennel bulb and mince. You should be left with a small bulb—about ½ the weight of the original. Cut into 8 wedges.
- Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the fennel wedges gently in the pan, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on the bottom. Use tongs to flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a small plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, still over medium-low heat, and add the minced fennel, onion, garlic and raisins.
- Cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until the onion and fennel have softened and the garlic has become fragrant. Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Cook the bucatini in the boiling water according to the instructions on the package until al dente (usually 1 minute less than the recommended time). Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the pasta and the reserved cooking water. Cook, using tongs to toss the pasta with the aromatics, until the water evaporates and the pasta is perfectly done. Break the sardines apart with your fingers and add them to the skillet. Toss them with the pasta until just heated through and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Toss half the fennel fronds and half the breadcrumbs into the pasta and divide among 4 plates. Top with the caramelized fennel wedges, the remaining fennel fronds and breadcrumbs. Serves 4.
Notes
Reprinted from Tin to Table by Anna Hezel, with permission by Chronicle Books, 2023. Photographs © Chelsie Craig. Illustrations © Alex Citrin.