Canned sardines are one of the most basic canned goods, for us Filipinos. Ever since I was young, we would almost always have sardines as part of our table. My mom would cook it by sauteing lots of white onion to enhance and extend our viand. 

As part of the Filipino culture, there are numerous stories how it has been part of their family. King Cup has redesigned their label after 30 years in the industry. Together with that, they partnered with our local celebrity, Coco Martin as their brand ambassador. It was launched last June 2018 at Luxent Hotel. According to Coco, his family was patronizing the brand ever since he was a kid and they would add vermicelli to extend their viand. And with that he agreed to be their ambassador with the trust he had with the brand.

Our team tried incorporating the sardines in a pasta dish. We tried frying the sardines to give it a different texture and flavor in the dish.

So here’s our creation and tell us what you think. Comment below for suggestions and feedback.

Enjoy!

Sardine Pasta (King Cup Sardines)

Yield: 4-6 servings

Pasta:

500g. Fettucine Pasta 

4 cans (155g.) King Cup Sardines (Red or Green), separate sauce and fish

1/4 cup Cornstarch

Oil for shallow frying

Sauce:

1/4 cup Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

50g. White Onion, slice into strips

100g. Tomato, seeded, medium dice

1 pc. Dried Bay Leaf

Reserved sauce of King Cup Sardines

2 cups Tomato Sauce

2 tsp. Spanish Paprika

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (optional)

10g. Fresh Basil, stemmed, cut into thin strips

Salt & Pepper to taste

Basil Oil:

30g. Fresh Basil, stemmed

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt

Garnish:

Parmesan Cheese

Lemon

Fresh Basil Leaves

Procedure:

1. Boil a pot of water. Cook pasta as instructed in the pack. Drain and set aside.

2. Make the basil oil. You can use a food processor by pulsing it or pounding it using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

3. Drain the sardines, set aside the sauce.

4. Prepare the fillet. Split the drained sardines in half and take out the bones. Bread it with cornstarch and shallow fry it for 1 minute until golden brown. Drain in a paper towel, set aside.

5. Prepare the sauce. In a preheated pan, add oil. Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant, cook for a minute. Add tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 mins. or until the tomatoes are soft. Add the the rest of the ingredients, including the sauce from the can. Simmer for 5 mins. if it’s drying up, add some pasta water.

6. Plating: Toss the pasta in the simmering sauce. Take out from fire then place everything it in a deep dish. Top it with some grated parmesan cheese. Serve with basil oil and lemon wedge on the side.