Gather all the ingredients and ensure you have everything within reach.

Cook the linguine pasta according to the package instructions. Drain it but reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.

Toss the cooked pasta back in the pot with the reserved cooking water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the minced shallots to the hot pan and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and slightly translucent.

Sprinkle in the chili flakes and stir.

Lower the heat to medium, then add the minced garlic and let it cook for one minute.

Incorporate the drained sardines gently into the pan.

Zest the lemon over the pan and stir it in.

Combine the cooked linguine into a large serving bowl, mixing in the sardine sauce, chopped parsley, and baby kale.

Finish by drizzling lemon juice on top and serve immediately.