Tender sardines and slowly cooked fennel make a savory, glossy sauce for linguine. Raw fennel, lemon and parsley keep the dish fresh and give every bite a little crunch.
Canned sardines are a practical base for a quick pasta sauce: they’re already cooked and have a rich, briny flavor of their own. In this dish, a little cooking water loosens them in the pan, so they coat the linguine without any need for cream or cheese. Choose sardines in olive oil; that oil also gives the sauce its first layer of flavor. Leave the fish mostly whole in the pan, then break it into large pieces with a wooden spoon. That way, along with the sauce, you’ll still have the occasional recognizable piece of sardine.
Fennel plays two roles. Some of it cooks gently until soft and sweet, while the rest is added raw to the dish. Slice the raw fennel as thinly as possible with a sharp knife or mandoline, so it stays pleasantly crisp without overpowering the other flavors. Fennel bulbs are generally available year-round; in spring and summer they’re often fresh and firm. Use the fronds too if they’re attached to the bulb: finely chopped, they go well with the parsley, but they aren’t needed for this recipe.
Let the fennel cook in the pan for a few minutes before adding the garlic. This makes it tender and brings out a little sweetness, without letting the garlic get too dark in the meantime. Pasta water is more important here than an extra splash of oil: the starch in it helps bind the lemon juice, sardine oil and fish into a sauce. Add it a little at a time and toss the pasta in the pan; the sauce should cling glossily to the linguine, not pool at the bottom.
Lemon balances the briny fish and tender fennel. Zest the lemon before squeezing it, and add the juice only at the end so its fresh flavor stays distinct. Taste before adding salt: the sardines and pasta water may already be quite salty. Linguine works well because the broad, flat strands hold the sauce. Spaghetti will also work; it’s best to avoid very short pasta, which lacks the contrast between the strands, fish and thinly sliced fennel.
Serve the pasta straight away, topped with the raw fennel and parsley so they stay fresh and crisp. A simple green salad goes well alongside; bread is handy for mopping up any sauce left on the plate. Cool leftovers quickly and store them covered in the fridge for up to two days. Reheat them in a pan over low heat with a splash of water, tossing gently; the pasta will soften a little and the raw fennel will lose its crunch.
Bring the water and salt to a boil. Cook the linguine until al dente, following the package instructions. Before draining, scoop about 150 ml of cooking water from the pan.
Divide the sliced fennel into two equal portions. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sardine cans in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook one portion of fennel for 5–7 minutes, until soft but not yet browned.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sardines and break them into large pieces with a wooden spoon.
Add the linguine with 75 ml of cooking water. Toss for 1–2 minutes, until the sardines have partly broken down and the liquid and oil have formed a glossy sauce. Add an extra splash of cooking water if needed.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir through the raw fennel, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the parsley. Season with black pepper and taste before adding any extra salt. Serve immediately.
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