Sarde a Beccafico (Sicilian Stuffed Sardines)
Sarde a Beccafico is a traditional Sicilian dish of butterflied sardines stuffed with a sweet and savory mixture of bread crumbs, pine nuts, currants, anchovies, garlic and parsley. Baked in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon, it truly is a taste of Sicily.
Back in 2001 I went to Sicily with my parents. When visiting Taormina, one of my favorite places in the world, we went to eat at a restaurant called Granduca. Along with the beautiful view of Giardini-Naxos down below, Granduca served pizza and some Sicilian dishes. My father got very excited when he saw Sarde a Beccafico on the menu. I asked him what it was and he said it was a Sicilian specialty, stuffed sardines. He was surprised when I told him that I love Sardines. We ordered them and I was not disappointed. They were so good with that sweet and savory stuffing.
When I went back to Italy with my wife Sandy in 2005, and we hit Sicily, I told her we had to go to Granduca for the view and the Sarde a Beccafico. After that trip I promised Sandy I was going to try making them at home. Well, it took me 14 years to actually follow through with that promise, but here they are! It was definitely worth the wait!
The Three Things That Matter
Soak the currants first. The currants need to soak in warm water for about 30 minutes before you use them. Dry currants are hard and will not soften properly during the short baking time. Soaked currants become plump and tender and release their sweetness into the stuffing. This is the step that gives the filling its distinctive sweet and savory character, do not skip it.
Roll from head to tail, pack them snugly. Spoon the stuffing on the flesh side of each butterflied sardine and roll from the head end down toward the tail. Pack the rolled sardines snugly in the baking dish, tail fins pointing up. Snug packing keeps them from unrolling during baking and ensures even cooking. There will be leftover stuffing, sprinkle it over the top so the whole dish gets that golden breadcrumb crust.
Fresh sardines make the dish. Sarde a Beccafico is a street food and a home dish in Sicily precisely because sardines are abundant and inexpensive there. Canned sardines will not work here, you need fresh sardines that can be butterflied. Ask your fishmonger to butterfly and remove the spines and heads for you. This is the step most people are intimidated by, and the fishmonger eliminates it entirely.
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Sarde a Beccafico
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Sarde a Beccafico is a traditional Sicilian dish of butterflied sardines stuffed with a sweet and savory mixture of bread crumbs, pine nuts, currants, anchovies, garlic and parsley. Baked in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon, it truly is a taste of Sicily.
Ingredients
- 16–20 fresh sardines, butterflied with spines and heads removed
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cups currants
- 1/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 3–4 anchovy filets, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for coating baking dish and drizzling
- salt and pepper to taste
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Approximately 30 minutes before preparing stuffing place currants in warm water to soak.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, pignoli, garlic, parsley, anchovies and salt & pepper.
- Drain the currants and add them to the mixture along with the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir to mix well.
- Oil a baking dish just large enough to fit the stuffed sardines snugly.
- Spoon about a teaspoon of stuffing on top of each butterflied sardine and roll up. Start rolling from the top of the fish down to the tail. Place the rolled up sardines in the baking dish.
- When all sardines are stuffed and in the baking dish, you should still have some stuffing left over. Sprinkle some of the leftover stuffing on top of the sardines.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive and squeeze lemon juice on top of the sardines and place in the oven.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes until sardines are cooked through and stuffing on top is golden brown.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
Substitutions
- Sardines. Fresh sardines are essential. Ask your fishmonger to butterfly them and remove the spines and heads, this makes the preparation much simpler. Helen (in the comments) keeps butterflied sardines from the fish counter in her freezer, which is a great tip.
- Currants. Raisins work as a substitute and are easier to find. Golden raisins are slightly milder. Either way, soak them first.
- Anchovies. The anchovies dissolve into the stuffing and add a deep savory note without tasting fishy. If you want to skip them, add a little extra salt and a pinch of lemon zest. Nene (in the comments) swapped them for lemon rind and chilli flakes and loved the result.
- Bread crumbs. Plain dry bread crumbs are traditional. Panko gives a crispier top but is less authentic.
FAQ
Beccafico is a small Italian bird (the garden warbler) that was considered a delicacy and fed on figs and berries. The dish is named for the bird because the rolled stuffed sardines, tail fins pointing up in the baking dish, resemble the bird’s shape. It is one of the classic dishes of Palermo and Sicilian street food tradition.
No. You need fresh sardines that can be butterflied and stuffed. Canned sardines are already cooked and too soft to roll. Ask your fishmonger to butterfly them and remove the spines and heads, which takes the hardest part of the prep off your hands.
It is a classic dish of Palermo, Sicily, with roots going back centuries. It is closely associated with Sicilian street food and cucina povera, the tradition of humble, inexpensive ingredients transformed into something delicious. The sweet and savory stuffing reflects the Arab influence on Sicilian cuisine, the combination of pine nuts, currants, and anchovies is distinctly Sicilian.
Made the Sarde last night, swapped out the anchovy for a little lemon rind and chilli flakes – delicious! Would increase the breadcrumbs next time as it would have been great to have more on top!
I tried what you said and it tasted amazing. Thank you, Nene.
This recipe tastes amazing and turns out like the image presented. I love it.
Love this recipe! Have made it several times.
I ask the fish counter in my supermarket to butterfly and fillet them and I keep them in my freezer.
That one step makes this a quick and easy dish!
Thank you for such precise instructions!