Bucatini Recipe with Sardines and Wild Fennel
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
5
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Calories
624 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Bucatini Recipe with Sardines and Wild Fennel
Description
The Bucatini Recipe with Sardines and Wild Fennel starts by boiling fresh fennel with water that is later used to cook the pasta, capturing the vegetable’s subtle herbal notes in both the sauce and pasta. The fennel is then chopped and set aside. In a sauté pan, olive oil and finely chopped red onion are cooked until translucent, followed by anchovy fillets that melt into the oil creating an umami base. Fresh sardine fillets and reserved fennel water are added to form a gently cooked sauce.
Toasted pine nuts and saffron threads are incorporated to add texture and an aromatic depth, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. The cooked fennel pieces join the mixture to complete the sauce, which is combined with al dente bucatini pasta that has absorbed the subtle fennel flavor from its cooking water. Resting for five minutes allows flavors to meld before serving.
This dish presents a harmony of seafood and herbs with textural contrasts and is appropriate for a seafood-focused meal or when wishing to highlight wild herbs. The method emphasizes layering flavors through the use of cooking water, saffron, and anchovies.
Ingredients
- 1 handful fennel roughly chopped, fresh, wild
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1/4 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 5 anchovy fillets in oil
- 1 lb sardines scaled, cleaned and filleted, fresh
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 1 lb bucatini pasta
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the chopped fennel and boil for 20 minutes.
- Remove the fennel and reserve the cooking water.
- Chop the fennel into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
- Pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in the anchovy fillets and let them dissolve for about 1 minute.
- Add the sardines and 2 ladles of the reserved fennel water. Stir for a few minutes, then add the toasted pine nuts, saffron, salt, and pepper. Cook gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the fennel to the sardine mixture and 2 more ladles of fennel water to form a medium-thick sauce.
- Bring the reserved fennel water back to a boil. Add plenty of salt and more water if necessary, then add the bucatini and cook until al dente, about 8 to 9 minutes.
- Drain the bucatini and mix with the sardine sauce. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 5Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 624 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 624kcal | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | 70g | 23% |
| Protein | 29g | 58% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 37mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 618mg | 26% |
| Potassium | 488mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 135IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 1.7mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 290mg | 29% |
| Iron | 2.4mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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