Tinned Fish Pasta
We are making major pantry pasta here, and in this case we are combining the holy trinity of tinned fish—tuna, sardines and anchovies—as well as jarred olives, for an easy weeknight dinner that is positively buzzing with flavor. The key here is to buy good-quality fish packed in olive oil which are typically Italian tuna in small jars and Portuguese sardine fillets in tins—cause you’ll be using not only the fish but the oil as well, which is infused with tons of flavor. Regarding olives, ideally use dry- cured black olives (I like the ones from Mina) which have a deep concentrated flavor. If you can’t find them, use oil cured black olives—they are worth the effort to find and have so much more intensity than standard canned black olives.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound pappardelle or other dry pasta
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
One 6 ounce jar Italian tuna fillets in oil, with oil reserved
One 4 ounce tin of sardine fillets in oil, with oil reserved
One 2 ounce tin of anchovy fillets in oil, with oil reserved
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ tsp chili flake
1 cup brined pitted black olives, crushed then very roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, plus more leaves for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions in well-salted water. Reserve ¾ cup pasta water.
Meanwhile in a large pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of reserved oil from the fish tins/jars. When shimmering, add panko and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown (approximately 4 to 5 minutes), then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Wipe pan clean and return to the stove. Add about 3 tablespoons of reserved oil from the fish tins/jars. Add red onion, garlic and chili flake and sauté until softened and just golden on the edges—about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add pasta water, then turn heat to low and add olives, tuna, sardines and anchovies and stir to combine, using a wooden spoon to gently break the fish up into smaller pieces. Add pasta, lemon juice and lemon zest along and toss to combine.
Stir in parsley and half the breadcrumbs, then portion into bowls, top with more breadcrumbs, garnish with flat leaf parsley and serve.