Sardines are an oily fish which is high in omega-3s. Easy and convenient in cans, most people just put them on toast. This is a tangy recipe that uses them in a different way.

Ingredients

375g fusilli or elbow pasta
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into lengths
1 bunch rocket, stalks trimmed
2 x 100g can sardines in water, drained and cut into large chunks
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 black olives
2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan

Caper and lemon dressing:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup capers, drained and chopped
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon cracked pepper

Methods/steps

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. When boiling, add the fusilli and stir well to prevent sticking. Reduce heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain pasta then place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over pasta, tossing to combine.

3. Cook asparagus in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes or until asparagus has turned bright green (do not overcook - should be still crispy). Drain and refresh under cold water.

4. Add asparagus to pasta in bowl, together with rocket, sardines, tomatoes and olives. Toss well to combine.

5. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

Additional Tips

Tip:
This dish is a little higher in salt than the others but there are ways to minimise the salt if you need to. Use only half the olives (and slice them rather than serving whole) and rinse the capers under cold water to remove their saltiness and omit the Parmesan.

Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 12 mins

Nutrition per serve:
2415 Kilojoules (577 Calories), 22g fat (including 4g saturated fat), 69g carbohydrate (including 3g sugars), 7g fibre and 273mg sodium. Read our nutrition rating system.