Mediterranean Sardine Pasta with Lemon, Capers and Chili Flakes – Easy, Delicious and Heart Healthy Meal
Sponsored by Season Sardines.
In this healthy recipe, pasta plays host to a bounty of coastal Mediterranean flavors. Sardines, fresh lemon juice, capers, chili flakes, and olive oil combine to create a flavorful pasta dish. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry or fridge. The result is a light yet filling, nourishing entree.
When Season Sardines contacted me about their tasty line of sustainably harvested sardines, my mind immediately drifted to pasta. Cooking up a quick batch of delicious Mediterranean Sardine Pasta sounded like the perfect way to celebrate sardines!
Season is committed to sustainable fishing. As a girl who grew up fishing the Central Coast of California, this is super important to me. They are proudly certified sustainable by Friend of the Sea, an international nonprofit organization that certifies products from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Season Sardines are wild caught with methods that don’t impact the seabed and eliminate by-catches.
Sardines are currently in the spotlight for their health qualities and sustainability. However, Season Sardines have actually been around for decades. A Polish immigrant named Isaac Epstein inspired the brand. His career began over 80 years as a food merchant, selling his specialty food products to grocery stores in New Jersey and New York. The brand’s reputation as a seller of high quality canned sea food, specialty vegetables and Asian products began to take off around the 1950s. Over time Season brand became a household name in big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. Today you can find Season products throughout the US and several other countries, including Canada and Argentina.
This Mediterranean Sardine Pasta with Lemon, Capers and Chili Flakes is easy, comforting, and good for you. In addition to being tasty, sardines are a great source of protein. In fact, they contain more protein than chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, and roast turkey. Likewise, they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines for the win!
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Sardine Pasta with Lemon, Capers and Chili Flakes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces angel hair (capellini) or spaghetti pasta
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallots minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes spicy - use more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 package Season Brand Sardines in Pure Olive Oil, drained 4.375 oz
- 3 tablespoons capers rinsed
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley or basil chopped
NOTES
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water over high heat to boil (this will be your pasta cooking water). Meanwhile, in a large sauteuse, sauté pan, or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the shallots, lemon zest, crushed red pepper and salt. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent (careful, don't let them burn!).Add the sardines and capers to the pan. Saute for about 2 minutes until warmed through, breaking up the sardines into smaller pieces as you sauté.
- When the sardines begin to turn golden, slowly stir in the fresh lemon juice. Turn heat to lowest setting to keep warm while you cook your pasta.When pasta water boils, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the cooked pasta and fresh chopped parsley or basil to the pan with the sauce (alternatively, you can put the pasta back in the large pasta pot and pour the sauce over it). Toss pasta to evenly coat with sauce, mixing well with the other ingredients. If the pasta seems too dry, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water, 1 tbsp at a time, to loosen it a bit. It should not be thick or heavy, and the noodles should be lightly coated with oil.Add additional salt, lemon or chili pepper flakes to taste, if desired. Serve hot.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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Healthy Mediterranean Tuna Salad
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This is the third sardine pasta recipe I’ve tried and is by far the simplest and best tasting one of all. No need to try anymore recipes, this one is a keeper.
I have made this recipe so many times, I love it so much! I love sardines, but since they’re not a very popular food it’s hard to find a good recipe for them. It has great flavor and is healthy and simple so it’s good for a weeknight meal. I add a lot more parsley than specified, because I think it’s good that way.
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! This simple yet complex flavored sardine dish is now my go to sardine quick fix! Used whole wheat angel pasta and since the sardines are in olive oil I did not drain, again this is a fantastic anytime meal!
I made this last night and we loved it! I used King Oscar’s Mediterranean style sardines and I think it added to the wonderful flavor.
Thanks for sharing.
I made this once before and looked to find this recipe again. It’s the best.
I thought it was way too lemony and will look for a more balanced recipe.
Such a five star recipe!!! My husband bought a can of sardines and I had no clue what to do with them!! Well I came across this fabulous recipe of yours!! OMG!!! We are making this on repeat!! My husband can’t stop talking about how good it was!! I feel the same way!! THANK YOU for sharing this!!! YUM YUM YUM
Sounds great! What are suitable substitutes for capers? I don’t care for them and never buy them. I’m thinking sun dried tomatoes, but open to other suggestions. Thanks.
Sun fried tomatoes would be great! I would probably use chopped Castelvetrano olives as a sub here.
We loved it. Thanks 😊 👍
Loved this and my husband liked it too. Very Mediterranean tasting and easy, will definitely make it again.
Just made this recipe today. It was delicious. I used 3/4 of a regular onion and 3 garlic cloves in place of the shallot, and I used a few drops of lemon oil in place of the lemon zest. Also added a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes like another reviewer suggested; and sed a little dried basil in place of fresh at the end. I will definitely be making this one again.
This was absolutely delicious and addictive. As soon as I put it in my mouth, I announced “I want some sand!” I used to love Sand Pasta as a kid and this feels like a grown-up version. I think I’ll have to top with some buttery breadcrumbs the next time I make this. Thanks for a great recipe.
Great recipe, love making this with my son. My wife hates sardines so we do it on nights that she’s out. One addition that we love is one ground Italian sausage. It adds a little bit of depth to the flavor and balance as well with the sardines. The other edition we love is some whole cherry tomatoes that we blister with the shallots.
Why not make it with a goid brand of tuna?
That sounds like a great way to turn this delicious recipe into more of a stand-alone dish. Thanks!
This is my absolute favourite pasta recipe! I have cooked this many, many times. My family are not fans of sardines so I cook it as a treat for myself when they are having something else and I look forward to it every time! I also add pine nuts which add a lovely crunch. Thank you!
I made this with ditalini noodles, rather than spaghetti. I used half of a red onion, rather than shallots, as that’s what I had on hand. As someone else has posted, I used the zest and juice of an entire lemon. I also added a can of rinsed chickpeas, to add to the protein. Our sardines were packed in tomato sauce and oil, which added to the flavor. It came together quickly and was delicious!
Simple, well written recipe. I found it a little too fishy for my taste and unbalanced, not quite sure what’s needed.
Sorry to hear that! It could have to do with the brand of sardines you’re using. As for unbalanced, without knowing your specific preferences it would be hard to advise on what you might try.
A delicious &very forgiving recipe (even good with cut-up kale when no basil or parsley’s around). Thx so much for it.
A Favorite I keep coming back to! So easy with pantry staples, quick!, and absolutely Delicious!!! I have to double the recipe for 4 servings because Everyone wants seconds! Serve with crusty bread and a salad and you’re a 5 star chef!!
This was very tasty. I didn’t have any shallots so like one person suggested I used a little chopped onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Used the zest of one lemon and the juice from that. My husband and I both enjoyed this so I will definitely make it again.
New family favorite!
Our friends , grown children and their Godfather have been delighted!
Minor changes:
I just zest one real lemon and use the juice of that same lemon
Instead of shallots ( didn’t have) I used one medium onion ( slivered or cut lengthwise then slivered into ” Barbarian swords)
Used Morrocan Sardines with red Chili so no flakes needed also since the sardines were already in olive oil anyway I just used that olive oil
Zitti are an excelllent pasta choice for this since so much of the sauce adheres to them- we are using linguini tonight!
GRATED ROMANO ON TOP MAKES THE FLAVORS POP!
Fantastic! Had printed this recipe in 2020 and never made it – just kept it aside as my next dish. Finally made it last night and we were thrilled. Thanks !