Spicy Sardine Pasta with Leeks and Lemon

Version v1 current · History (1)

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 2 sardines (4-ounce tins, packed in olive oil; Sardinen)
• 40 ml olive oil (Olivenöl)
• 2 leeks (medium, white and pale green parts, trimmed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, rinsed; Lauch)
• 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced; Knoblauchzehen)
• 1 serrano chile (thinly sliced)
• salt (Salz)
• black pepper (schwarzer Pfeffer)
• 350 g spaghetti
• 1 lemon (Zitrone)
• 20 g capers (roughly chopped; Kapern)
• 15 g chives (fresh, thinly sliced; Schnittlauch)

Steps

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour the olive oil from sardines (2) into the skillet and add olive oil (40 ml). Add leeks (2) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, ⏲ 7–9 minutes. Add garlic cloves (3) and serrano chile (1), stir until fragrant, ⏲ 1 minute. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Add spaghetti (350 g) to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for ⏲ 1 minute less than the package directions recommend.
4. While the pasta cooks, lower heat under the skillet to medium. Break the sardines into the skillet and mash lightly with a spoon. Stir in the juice and zest of lemon (1), and capers (20 g).
5. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the skillet along with about 240 ml pasta water. Finish cooking for ⏲ 1 minute, tossing frequently with tongs, until almost all loose sauce is absorbed, adding more pasta water by splashes if needed. Top with chives (15 g), a drizzle of olive oil, and cracked black pepper.