Sardines Naples Style Food

PORTUGUESE STYLE SARDINE PASTA

Steps:

• Place a big frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and a drizzle of the sardine oil. When hot, add the bell pepper and cook until slightly soft. Add the red onion and garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the red onion and garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the olives and let everything slowly fry until it reaches a softer texture.
• Move your ingredients to one side of the frying pan and if necessary add another splash of olive oil and lightly fry your cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.
• Once the skin of the tomatoes start wrinkling, combine it with the rest of the pan, and add our chilli pepper and the sardines, breaking it into smaller pieces.
• Add zests of one lemon and a splash of white wine or lemon juice to deglaze the pan and bring all those flavours together. Let it sizzle for another couple of minutes.
• While you wait, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. The recommended proportion is around 1lt of water per 100 grams of pasta.
• Once the pasta water is boiling, begin cooking your spaghetti. Following the recommended instructions. For "al dente" pasta, remove from the water a minute early to taste.
• Add the tomato paste and half of a cup of the pasta water into your sauce. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. The starch from the pasta water will help our sauce to bond with the spaghetti. Try the sauce and check if you need to adjust the salt or add another splash of pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and add it immediately into the saucepan and gently combine everything.
• Serve the finished sardine pasta into two pasta bowls and add some freshly grated black pepper and parmesan cheese on top!

FRESH SARDINES NAPLES STYLE

Steps:

• Prepare the sardines by removing the heads and back bones. Rinse and pat dry. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the sardines a few at a time until brown and crispy. Remove to a large serving plate, and keep warm.
• In another skillet over medium heat, heat a bit of the oil. Add garlic, and cook for about half a minute. Add the wine and vinegar, and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally. When the liquid has reduced by about half, pour the sauce over the sardines, and sprinkle with fresh mint. Let stand for about 1 hour before serving to allow the fish to marinate.