My new favourite pasta dish: these linguini with sardines, capers, sultanas & breadcrumbs are filled with so much flavour and it’s a pure joy both to make and eat it- on repeat!
To me pasta is so much more than comfort food: I often see it as a blank canvas, upon which I can play almost endlessly. I make up recipes sometimes, using seasonal favourites or experimenting with fresh and jarred or tinned ingredients alike; more often than not though, a dish comes together from bits and bobs left in the fridge or the cupboard, some still keeping their looks and others slowly fading away- they’re all fair play for a good pasta dish. This one, came together exactly like that.
A tin of sardines (a constant staple in our kitchen), a bunch of capers swimming reluctantly at the bottom of a briny jar, a handful of sultanas picked from a box of store-bought muesli, lots of lemon and parsley (a favourite combination) and, right before serving, a big sprinkle of another staple: breadcrumbs and roughly chopped walnuts, toasted with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of dried oregano and another of sea salt flakes (I make lots of this and keep it forever in a jar on my kitchen counter, often adding to it with leftover breadcrumbs and sesame seeds from our meals).
Linguini is perfect here, delicate, yet with a lovely bite, allowing all these lovely leftovers to gently dance around it, lightly clinging to it in every forkful; everything I love in a meal is here: saltiness from the fish and capers, sweetness from the lovely, plump fruit, a touch of acidity and freshness gifted by much needed squeeze of lemon and a delicious, fragrant crunch. Add a last drizzle of olive oil and enjoy alongside some crisp white wine.
Linguine with sardines, capers, sultanas & breadcrumbs
WHAT
1 tsp olive oil
100g stale wholemeal bread, torn into big chunks
50g walnuts, thinly chopped
big pinch of salt
1 tsp dried oregano
100g sultanas & raisins combined
3 tbs capers, well rinsed
juice from 2 oranges
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 can of sardines in extra virgin olive oil
400g linguine
To serve: lemon wedges & a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
HOW
Put the bread in a food processor and pulse to coarse breadcrumbs (some bigger pieces are fine).
Soak the sultanas, raisins and capers in the orange juice, setting them aside while you carry on.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add one teaspoon olive oil; tip in the breadcrumbs, walnuts, oregano and salt. Toss well to combine and cook for 8-10’ or until golden and crunchy. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, add two tablespoons olive oil and then the onion and cook for about 5’, until softened. Add the sliced garlic, cook for another 2’ and then add the orange juice with the fruit and capers. Increase the heat to high and cook for about 3’, stirring quickly. Set aside.
Cook the linguine in plenty of salted water until al dente, reserving about half a cup of their water. Drain and immediately add to the frying pan.
Toss well, so that the orange juice and onion sauce coats everything well (you may need to add some of the pasta water) and immediately plate.
On each plate, add a couple sardine fillets, a lemon wedge, a big handful of the breadcrumbs and nuts and finally a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.