Pasta con le Sarde

Ciccio Sultano’s selected pasta con le sarde follows a Sicilian combination of sardines, wild fennel, saffron, pine nuts and raisins. His version tops thick spaghetti with crunchy crumbs coloured and flavoured with tomato.

Wild fennel boils separately, then is pressed and chopped. Its cooking water and the pressed liquid are kept together for cooking the pasta, while a separate toasted-saffron infusion rests for the sauce.

The own crumb topping combines prepared durum breadcrumbs with tomato purée, olive oil, chopped garlic, oregano, parsley and chilli. The mixture is loosened through a sieve, returned to its bowl and toasted with salt until dry and crisp.

Spring onion, red garlic and anchovies start the sauce in olive oil. A little oil from the anchovy preserve joins the chilli, saffron infusion, pine nuts, raisins and fennel before the cleaned sardines enter.

The spaghetti cook in the reserved fennel water, then finish briefly in the sardine sauce with an olive-oil drizzle. The crunchy crumbs finish the plated pasta, contrasting with the fish and aromatic dressing.