PASTA CON LE SARDE, an iconic Sicilian recipe from Palermo and it was the dish I prepared as a cooking presentation for the Slow Fish Festival Melbourne – Save Our Seafood, held in Spotswood–Kingsville.
Pasta con le Sarde at the Slow Fish Festival Melbourne
To everyone who attended this successful event, thank you for your interest and enthusiasm. As promised, here is an updated version of the recipe and some additional information about the ingredients that make this classic Sicilian pasta so distinctive.
Pasta con le Sarde is one of Sicily’s most celebrated seafood dishes. Originating in Palermo, it combines fresh sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, currants, saffron and breadcrumbs in a harmonious balance of sweet and savoury flavours. It is a dish that reflects Sicily’s layered culinary history, shaped by Arab, Mediterranean and local traditions.
For those interested in the recipe itself, I have previously published two versions:
- Pasta con le Sarde – the traditional Palermo-style version with wild fennel, pine nuts and currants.
- Pasta con le Sarde al Forno – the baked version, a favourite for special occasions and family gatherings.
The Importance of Wild Fennel
Wild fennel (finocchietto selvatico) is one of the defining ingredients of Pasta con le Sarde. Its delicate aniseed flavour perfumes both the sauce and the cooking water used for the pasta.
In Sicily, wild fennel grows abundantly in the countryside and along roadsides during spring.
Traditionally, cooks harvest the tender shoots, boil them, and then use both the fennel and the aromatic cooking liquid in the preparation of the dish.
To preserve its flavour for use throughout the year, Sicilians often freeze the cooked fennel. or dry the seeds.
They also dry the seeds.
Wild Fennel in Sicilian Markets
During the fennel season, bunches of freshly harvested wild fennel are sold in markets throughout Sicily.
Whether in Palermo, Catania or smaller country towns, the sight of market stalls overflowing with fennel is a reminder of the strong connection between Sicilian cooking and seasonal produce.
The fragrance alone is enough to evoke memories of traditional home cooking.
As promised, here is an update of the recipe Pasta con le Sarde I cooked at this event.
A Dish That Tells Sicily’s Story
Pasta con le Sarde is much more than a pasta dish. It reflects Sicily’s history and cultural influences.
The combination of sardines, wild fennel, currants and pine nuts illustrates the Arab contribution to Sicilian cuisine, while the use of fresh local seafood speaks of the island’s enduring relationship with the Mediterranean Sea.
Like many traditional dishes, it is a recipe that varies from family to family, yet remains unmistakably Sicilian.
Flavouring the pasta water and the boiled wild fennel.
From Pasta to Timballo
One of the pleasures of Pasta con le Sarde is that leftovers can be transformed into another classic Sicilian dish: timballo di pasta.
The pasta is layered or baked in a mould and served as a substantial second meal. In many Sicilian households, yesterday’s pasta often becomes today’s timballo.
Pasta con le Sarde and The Leopard
During my presentation, I also referred to the famous Sicilian novel The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
The novel, later adapted into the acclaimed film The Leopard by Luchino Visconti, captures the elegance, complexity and changing social landscape of nineteenth-century Sicily.
Like Pasta con le Sarde itself, the story is deeply rooted in Sicilian identity and tradition.
SICILIAN PLATE -Alessi
You will need a plate to serve it and this is what I used.
It is an Alessi Plate ( not THE Alessi, the Sicilian Alessi) They use old stencils, colours and images from the past to decorate their plates. I bought this in the premier pottery town in Sicily – Caltagirone. It is located in central Sicily between Catania and Ragusa,
PASTA CON LE SARDE (Pasta with sardines, from Palermo, made with fennel, pine nuts and currants)
PASTA CON SARDE – the baked version, Palermo, Sicily
SICILIAN SEAFOOD COOKING
Recipe in Sicilian Seafood Cooking, Tim White from Books For Cooks (Melbourne) may have a couple of this book left for sale in his store.
