Preparation

To make pasta with sardines, first clean the wild fennel by removing the leathery parts of the stems. Bring 3 litres of water to the boil in a saucepan, then add the fennel and boil for 3-4 minutes if tender, or 10-12 minutes if late. Drain the fennel and keep the cooking water aside.

Transfer the fennel to a colander and crush it to remove excess water. Add the resulting liquid to the cooking water kept aside. Finally, chop the fennel. Prepare the saffron water: toast the saffron pistils in a saucepan for a couple of minutes, then add the water and bring to the boil. When it starts to boil, turn off the heat and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Keep aside and move on to the crunchy breadcrumbs: pour the tomato sauce and oil together with the finely chopped garlic and oregano into a blender. Also add the chilli and parsley, then blend to obtain a homogeneous mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, then mix well to combine. Strain through a large-mesh strainer or colander so that the moisture is removed, taking care to put any retained residue back into the bowl.

Pour the resulting breadcrumbs into a frying pan, season with salt and toast until dry and crispy. Prepare a couple of bowls with water and ice to remove the blood from the fish during the cleaning process. Cut off the head of the sardines, the dorsal and ventral fins, placing the sardines in one of the bowls with water and ice.

Open the sardines by the book, remove the bones and rinse them in the second bowl with water and ice. Drain the cleaned sardines and place them on a tray lined with paper towels, then pat them dry. Coarsely chop them, dividing each into 3 pieces.

Cook the sauce: clean and finely chop the spring onions, then fry them in a pan with oil, chopped garlic and the anchovies, keeping the oil from the preserves to one side. When the anchovies start to break up, add a drop of their oil and the chilli pepper. After a few minutes, pour in the saffron water and the pine nuts. Also add the sultanas and fennel. Stir well, then add the sardines.

Adjust the salt and, if necessary, add more water: the sardines should be covered. Meanwhile, bring the fennel cooking water to the boil; if not, add more water. Bring to the boil and cook the spaghettoni, then drain them in the pan with the sauce.

Add a little more oil and toss the pasta for up to one minute, stirring gently. Complete the dish with the crunchy breadcrumbs and serve the pasta with sardines immediately.