Another fantastic recipe sent to me by Karin that has become a staple weeknight meal. Tinned fish — it doesn’t get better!
Ingredients
- 175g pasta (linguine, spaghetti or whatever you feel like)
- 1 tin of sardines or mackerel
- 1 large fennel bulb, sliced thinly
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (or to taste)
- chili flakes (amount to your liking)
- 1 (or 2) tbsp capers, rinsed &/or drained
- parsley, chopped
- pine nuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
Put a medium sized frypan on to a medium slow heat and brown the pine nuts. Shake regularly and DON’T WALK AWAY. When they smell good and have begun to develop a little colour, transfer them to a small bowl.
Meanwhile, put a largish pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Turn the heat up a little under the frypan (to about medium) and add the olive oil. When it has warmed up, add the finely sliced fennel, the garlic, lemon zest, fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring from time to time until the fennel has softened and taken on a golden hue. This will take about 10 minutes.
By now the pasta water should be boiling, so throw the pasta in and cook to the packet instructions.
When the pasta has about 5 minutes to go add the fish to the fennel mixture, breaking it up with your cooking utensil. You might as well add the oil from the tin as well for more yummy fishiness. Add the capers, the parsley and the lemon juice and stir all of this combine. (If this mixture is looking at all dry, add some of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.)
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and divide between two bowls, add the fennel and sardine mixture and sprinkle the pine nuts over the top.