Mediterranean Sardine Pasta with Lemon, Capers and Chili Flakes – Easy, Delicious and Heart Healthy Meal
Sponsored by Season Sardines.
This week my family and I have been busy cleaning out our pantry and cabinets for Passover, getting rid of the chametz and any other food items that we won’t be eating during the holiday. I’m sure many of my Jewish readers can relate. But what to do with all of those leftover grain products? When Season Sardines contacted me about their tasty line of sustainably harvested sardines, the answer became clear. Cooking up a quick batch of delicious Mediterranean Sardine Pasta was the perfect solution!
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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 bycatches.
Sardines are currently in the spotlight for their health qualities and sustainability, but Season Sardines have actually been around for decades. The brand was inspired by a Polish immigrant named Isaac Epstein. 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 so easy, comforting and good for you. Sardines are a great source of protein, containing more than chicken breast, hard boiled eggs and roast turkey as well as omega-3 fatty acids. So while you’re doing your Passover cleaning, you can also feed your family a heart-healthy, guilt-free meal. Sardines for the win!
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Sponsored by Season. Thank you for supporting my sponsors, they allow me to share more free recipes, cooking tutorials, holiday crafts and food history with you!
Sardine Pasta with Lemon, Capers and Chili Flakes
Ingredients
- 8 oz angel hair (capellini) or spaghetti pasta
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallots, minced
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (spicy - use more or less to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1 package (4.375 oz) Season Brand Sardines in Pure Olive Oil, drained
- 3 tbsp capers, rinsed
- 5 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil
You will also need
- Very large skillet or saute pan
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water. Rinse pasta under cool water for a moment or two to keep the noodles loose. Reserve. In a large sauteuse, saute or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- In a large sauteuse, saute or sauce pan, 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!).
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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 saute. -
When the sardines begin to turn golden, slowly stir in the fresh lemon juice. Add the cooked pasta and fresh chopped parsley or basil to the pan. 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, the noodles should be lightly coated with oil. -
Add additional salt, lemon or chili pepper flakes to taste, if desired. Serve hot. 
Other Great Recipe Ideas
Sippity Sup: Sardine Sandwich with Horseradish Cream
Leite’s Culinaria: Sardine Pizza
So good. I used the oil from the sardines to cook the garlic and onion (I didnt have shallots) the dish is amazing.
I was recently in Sicily where my boyfriend lives and they put crushed pistachio nuts on that kind of pasta or roasted breadcrumbs , also super yummy.
Delicious. I squeezed in an entire lemon, and when serving added just a touch of goat cheese. So good, quick and easy! And although I accidentally went a bit overboard with the pepper flakes, I’m loving the spicyness!
Seasons sardines in olive oil skinless & boneless are the hardest cans to open. I pulled the tab & it broke off then I used a can opener but it wouldn’t go around the corners, ended up with a screw driver.
Finally, I really liked the sardines.
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Made it several times – it’s super tasty, easy and quick to prepare and therefore a perfect weeknight dinner. It is also great as a starter when you are having guests – just reduce the size of the servings a little bit. 😉
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it several times because it’s so easy and delicious. I now keep sardines in my cupboard at all times just to make this dish. It’s one meal that my picky three-year-old never refuses. We made it for dinner tonight and he kept mentioning how tasty it was. We were even fighting over the leftovers!
What’s all this skepticism about sardines, anyway? Sardines are fish! They’re fully cooked as you open the tin and no more ”smelly” than opening a can of tuna, or any other fish for that matter. I’ve enjoyed the 4.375-oz. tin of Season skinless and boneless in olive oil for years. But any brand is still a sardine! Delicious on dark pumpernickel bread with some mustard, and some of the olive oil they’re packed in. Enjoy them.
Scrumptious!
Looks yummy
Yum!
yummy! can’t wait to see your posts on some of your dishes for passover
I have never had a sardine, but I am always willing to try something new.
Nearly all the Season Sardine products are OU P so they do not have to be cleared out in advance of selling Chametz
I am going to make this for dinner, I have all the ingredients. Thanks Tori.
Don’t forget to have smoke detectors in your Shabbos kitchens & homes, yesterday in my neck of the woods……When I was a kid and my religious grandfather lived with us, mother always kept a small flame on the stove lit for Shabbos with a heat diffuser, I’d never leave an electrical appliance (Hot plate) plugged in for so many hours, especially all junkie things “MADE IN CHINA”….This didn’t have to happen!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/nyregion/7-children-die-in-brooklyn-fire.html
This is right near where my parents lived.
hmm…. I hate sardines. I hate that pickled tinny flavor…. But I just might give this a try. This actually looks pretty delicious. But, I like to try new foods and I never say no to something just because I didn’t like it the first time.
Gotta say, Season Sardines aren’t at all pickled or “tinny.” They’re super mild, as are most sardines packed in olive oil. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! And, I wish my stepdaughter was as open to trying things as you are. 🙂
Yummy! I am sardine obsessed AND lemon obsessed. Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome Gilly 🙂
I love sardines, grew up eating them. Never tried them in pasta before, usually just with a cracker and some mustard. Wil definitely try this
Enjoy Dalia!
Sardines kind of scare me. I’ve heard that they smell awful.
Emmy they used to scare me too, but honestly they are mild, delicate and wonderful. A great source of heart-healthy protein. If you like fish, don’t hesitate to give them a try. A cooked pasta dish like this is a great starter recipe!
Thanks Tori. I look forward to trying them soon, although I’ll probably have someone else prepare them. Thanks!
Emmy Jeffery, it has fishy smell as it is Fish, but if you add in some pepper and some strong herbs to cover the fishy smell. The most important is don’t feel like against it before you start eating it. I’m sure you will like it. Please eat it with it’s bone too as they are soft
I think adding some toasted breadcrumbs to the pasta would be delish! More chametz being used up!
Love that idea Rachel! I’ve got some panko I need to use up… #lunch 🙂
Actually, that sounds good, but I am sure only I would eat it in our house. Love sardines and capers.
I love them too Suzanne! Gotta admit, I had a few skeptics in the house, but this recipe won them over. So delish!