Spicy Sardine Pasta With Leeks and Lemon
Updated May 26, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Ready In
- 45 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (4-ounce) tins sardines packed in olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
2 medium leeks, trimmed, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti
¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus two tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
1 small bunch chives, thinly sliced
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
62 grams carbs; 656 calories; 29 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 41 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 356 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Pour the olive oil from the sardine tins into the skillet. (You should get about ¼ cup, but you can supplement as needed with additional olive oil.) Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic and chile and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Add the pasta to the large pot and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure the strands don’t stick together, for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time on the package directions.
- Step 4
While the pasta cooks, lower heat under the skillet to medium. Add the sardines to the skillet and mash into bits with a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and capers.
- Step 5
Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the skillet along with 1 cup pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for about 1 minute, turning and tossing with tongs, until all but a small amount of loose sauce is absorbed, adding splashes of additional pasta water if needed. Garnish the pasta with chives, a drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked pepper.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious and deeply satisfying. I sent a similar recipe, a family favorite, to Gourmet magazine in 1993. They pubished it! Using red pepper flakes for heat instead of the serrano pepper saves time, as does using scallions instead of leeks (the green part, finely chopped, is added just before serving ,along with a nice amount of chopped parsley. A splash of white wine after the aromatics are sautéed is a nice touch. Increase amount of olive oil and sop up the extra sauce with your bread.
Alex Levine, I clipped that recipe of yours back in the day and still make it regularly. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve improvised a similar dish on my own with two cans of solid white tuna (roughly mashed), EVOO, garlic, lemon juice & zest, 1 package of frozen spinach. Like here, I added the al dente cooked regular spaghetti with small, tablespoon measured pasta water for sauce. It came out very good.
Also delightful with chili crisp drizzled over the top, in lieu of using the serrano :)
Going to make this with fresh oregano and sage since my husband's allergic to chile.
My husband and son who like sardines loved this dish; both ate a second helping. Sprinkled some fresh shredded Parmesan cheese on top. I had 3 leeks, only used 2 & could used all 3. 1 pound of dry pasta is a lot of pasta! I used an extra large Serrano chili and they appreciated the extra heat in the dish. I will definitely make this dish again.