Spanish Sardines Pasta Recipe

Inspired by the outcome of the Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp Pasta, I tried making use of Spanish Sardines as the base ingredient for my new pasta recipe. I prefered sardines over tuna because the it is less fishy but tastier. I also resolved to keep a stock of olive oil in my pantry because I knew there are lots of wonders to be made with it. The bottled Spanish sardines in olive oil are pricier, so I took the canned ones as an alternative. They are relatively cheaper but not too different when it comes to taste.

I was about to drop a box of Angel Hair in my grocery cart but my sister prefers the spaghetti so yeah, I had no choice but to put it back. This recipe works for any pasta – because the main focus is the combination of ingredients that complement and balance out each other. But preferably, it stands out with the long or medium length pasta. This has lots of veggies too so it can be considered as a healthy meal itself. In the absence of Basil (which was our case last weekend), you may use Spinach.

INGREDIENTS:

450g Spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
3 Canned Spanish Sardines
1 large Bell pepper, diced
Olive Oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 can of button mushrooms
Spinach or Basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 lemon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large pan, saute onion, garlic, tomatoes and bell pepper in olive oil.
2. Press the tomatoes until it becomes soft or until the juices come out.
3. Add the flaked Spanish Sardines.Leave one whole sardine later for plating. Reserve the oil for the pasta.
4. Add the lemon juice to remove any fishy aftertaste, but this is optional. The lemon has a strong taste that’s not appealing to some.
4. Season with Salt and pepper.
5. Throw in the mushrooms, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the Spinach.
7. Toss the cooked pasta and mix altogether. Add the reserved oil from the canned sardines.
8. Top it with Parmesan Cheese.

My family, who’s a fan of red and white sauce pastas surprisingly loved this. What I like about this dish is that the Spanish Sardines added spice to the pasta with a prominent rich taste in it. I guess any type of vegetable can be experimented with this dish, so add more according to your preference.In my case, I love peppers, mushrooms and spinach so these were utilized.