Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients Pasta and Grains Martha's Pasta With Grilled Sardines and Bitter Greens 4.9 (9) It's an unexpected combination that works so well. Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Ready to try something new that’s delicious and healthy? Then this sardine pasta is for you. Martha uses grilled sardines—you can head outside to the grill or cook them in a grill pan. The bucatini pasta is tossed with sautéed dandelion greens and frisée that are cooked with caramelized shallots. The sweetness of the shallots balances out the bitter greens. Add a little reserved pasta cooking water if you find, as Martha did, you need more liquid for the sauce. (Pasta water is a magical ingredient that can transform a dish.) Lemon zest and Parmesan—freshly grated, please, says Martha—are added for serving this unexpected pasta. It’s a dish you’ll be making regularly. How to Eat Sardines—and Really Enjoy Them Credit: Bryan Gardner Directions Boil water for pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook shallots: Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; continue to cook, stirring occasionally until very soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes. Add dandelion greens and cook: Add dandelion greens and saute until just beginning to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add frisée: Add frisée and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth: Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender. Heat grill pan and cook sardines: Heat grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Drizzle sardines with lemon juice. Season sardines with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes per side. Fillet sardines: Transfer to a cutting board. Fillet the sardines, discarding bones; set aside. Cook pasta; drain reserving some pasta water: Add pasta to boiling water until al dente, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Combine pasta with greens, add zest, Parmesan, and sardines: Add pasta to the greens mixture and gently stir in lemon zest, parmesan, and sardine fillets. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in enough of the reserved cooking water to form a sauce. Serve immediately with additional lemon zest, cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. 5 More Seafood Pasta Recipes to Try: Caramelized Fennel, Celery, and Sardine Pasta Martha's Spaghetti alle Vongole Martha’s Bucatini With Breadcrumbs and Bottarga Spaghetti With Tuna and Caper Sauce Seafood Linguine