Spaghetti with sardines and Sicilian breadcrumbs

by Ciccio Sultano
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4
60 minutes

Ingredients

Marinated sardines

  • sardine fillets, 20–25 depending on size
  • 1/2 garlic clove, bashed
  • 2 sprigs of parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • 1 red chilli, cut in half lengthways
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 200ml of hot water

Pasta sauce

  • 6 large tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt
  • pepper

Sicilian breadcrumbs

  • 150g of stale bread, chopped
  • 100g of passata
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • 50g of black olives, chopped
  • 50g of anchovies, chopped
  • 50g of capers, chopped

To serve

  • 300g of spaghetti, fresh
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • 1 sprig of basil, leaves picked and sliced
  • salt
  • extra virgin olive oil

Method

1
To begin, mix together all the marinade ingredients for the sardines in a bowl then add the sardines. Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours, or overnight
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/2 garlic clove, bashed
  • 2 sprigs of parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • 1 red chilli, cut in half lengthways
  • 200ml of hot water
  • sardine fillets, 20–25 depending on size
2
To make the Sicilian breadcrumbs, combine all of the ingredients and slowly fry in a pan until dried out. Transfer to a blender and blitz to a fine crumb
  • 50g of capers, chopped
  • 150g of stale bread, chopped
  • 100g of passata
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • 50g of black olives, chopped
  • 50g of anchovies, chopped
3
To make the tomato sauce, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the tomatoes. Once the skins are just starting to wrinkle, plunge into iced water to stop the cooking process, then peel the tomatoes
  • 6 large tomatoes
4
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes then add the remaining flesh to a pan and cook over a low heat with a garlic clove. Stir gently over a low heat for 10 minutes, then add to a blender and blitz to a purée. Season to taste
  • pepper
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt
5
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
6
Cook the fresh pasta in salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes or until al dente. Meanwhile, drain the sardines and cook in the hot oven for 2 minutes
  • 300g of spaghetti, fresh
7
Toss the fresh basil, oregano, sliced red chilli and salt with the drained pasta and arrange on top of the sauce in a bowl. Top with the sardines and Sicilian breadcrumbs and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 sprig of basil, leaves picked and sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 1 sprig of oregano, leaves picked
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt