Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Sardines: Contemporary sardines are most well-liked, however they don’t seem to be at all times accessible and are fairly messy to scrub. I’ve made this recipe with recent and canned sardines packed in oil. Each variations are scrumptious!
If you will discover recent sardines and don’t thoughts cleansing them, you must completely use them. However there’s nothing incorrect with taking a shortcut and utilizing a very good high quality canned product. So take your choose!
Contemporary Fennel: The standard recipe is made with wild fennel, which is all over the place in Sicily however onerous to return by in different areas. Wild fennel (Finocchietto) grows tall, feathery, and has no bulb. It has a extra pronounced anise/licorice style than bulb fennel. I substitute the fronds and a number of the stalks from bulb fennel on this recipe. The stalks have extra of an anise taste, so I add them to maintain the style as genuine as doable. You will have a number of fennel bulbs. Use the stems and fronds and save the bulbs for consuming recent or in a salad.
Anchovies: The anchovies might be damaged down within the sauce, enhancing the salty, briny taste of the sardines. I additionally like so as to add a bit of of their oil to the sauce.
Dried Currants: If you wish to make this recipe as near conventional as doable, use currants. They’re pretty simple to search out in native grocery shops, however raisins might be substituted if currants aren’t accessible.
Saffron: Saffron is a standard ingredient in Mediterranean delicacies however is slightly costly in different elements of the world. It supplies a definite golden coloration, delicate floral aroma, and refined earthy-sweet taste.
Pine Nuts: The nuts don’t should be toasted earlier than including them to the sauce, however be happy to toast them if you need.
White Wine: A dry white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc works effectively. I just like the acidity the wine brings to the sauce, however my mom at all times used water as a substitute, and her sauce could be very tasty! As I mentioned, I like it each methods, so be happy to interchange it with water.
