Categories Food, Food, Food + Drinks, France, From the Producer, Recipes, Travel

RECIPE: Lemony Pasta With Sardines and Olives

by Busy Girl Health2 Comments on RECIPE: Lemony Pasta With Sardines and Olives

Whenever I’m in a pinch, a can of sardines can always be transformed into a delicious meal. I remember when I was little, my Mum would treat me to slices of rye bread with sardines in tomato sauce — something that I still like to snack on to this day!

Canned food generally has a stigma of being inexpensive and low quality. However, there have been an increase in premium canned food brands, particularly for seafood. In France, brands like La Guildive and La Belle-Iloise have introduced consumers to luxury gourmet products, with emphasis on terroir and regional cuisines.

La Belle-Iloise flagship store in Dieppe, featuring their iconic blue storefront and an eye-catching colourful display of canned sardines.
Besides sardines, they offer a wide variety of other products that can be enjoyed hot or cold. Mousse de Homard au Cognac (Cognac infused lobster mousse) and Rillettes de Lieu aux baies de Sichuan (shredded Pollock confit with Sichuan peppers) are a couple examples of their other offerings. Gift baskets and canvas bags are also available for purchase.

It might be because of the French apéritif culture, affectionately known as apéro, in which cocktails and finger foods are enjoyed before dinner. French consumers look for quality foods and brands are pushing to fill that demand by packing their fish with fine ingredients such as muscadet, olives from Nice, and guindilla chili peppers.

Can you believe that these tapas came from cans? Besides “Petites sardines piquantes” (Spicy sardines with olive oil and Guindilla chili peppers), La Guildive offers other delicacies such as “Poulpe à la galicienne” (Galician octopus) and “Chipirons à l’encre” (squid cooked in their own ink). You can set up an impressive spread in only a few minutes.

As a gourmande, I appreciate this trend and like to indulge in these fancy fares from time to time. On the rare occasion that I am not able to finish a can, I like to transform it from a sandwich topping into a full hot meal: lemony pasta with sardines and olives!

The main ingredients for this dish — sardines, breadcrumbs, pasta, olives, and lemons — are staples in my pantry. It is such a healthy and quick meal to make; it takes less than half an hour!

INGREDIENTS

1-2 portions of fresh pasta, preferably long noodles (I used tagliatelle this time)
3 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Canned sardines of choice, including oil or sauce (I used this)
2 handfuls of olives, halved
Juice of half a lemon
3 Tbsp breadcrumbs
A few sprigs of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Zest of a whole lemon
Crushed Sicilian red pepper flakes (This is my go-to)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cook pasta al dente according to instructions on the package.
  2. While waiting, heat up a pan on medium and add breadcrumbs. Lightly toast for a few minutes until golden (dry toast, without adding oil). Remove from pan and mix with lemon zest. Set aside.
  3. When pasta is almost ready, pour sardines with liquid and olives into pan. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add pasta and mix.
  5. To serve, plate pasta and squeeze lemon overtop. Sprinkle on breadcrumb mixture and parsley. Grind some black pepper.
  6. Enjoy!