Anchovy Pasta

Anchovies are a great source of umami and this anchovy pasta is so tasty and addicting you’ll be asking for seconds. This dish comes straight from Sicily (anyone else addicted after White Lotus season 2?) and is made with plenty of simple, fresh ingredients.

For this anchovy pasta recipe I am using freshly made fettuccine, however you can use spaghetti or pappardelle or any pasta you want really. I recommend a noodle type pasta as opposed to a cut or shaped pasta, but that’s just personal preference and the actual decision is up to you. I have a guide for making homemade fettuccine you can peruse, but feel free to use dry pasta if you want to.

Using anchovies in sauces and other dishes is quite a popular method to add umami to dishes in Italy but in this recipe these salty fish are the star of the show. For this reason I recommend buying high quality anchovies usually sold as whole fillets in jars. After all, most Italian food is about simple, yet high quality ingredients.

Does This Pasta Taste Fishy?

If you are worried about an overpowering anchovy taste then fear not. While the anchovies do impart flavor, and especially that ultimate savory feeling, the finished anchovy pasta does not taste fishy. This is partly because all of the other ingredients balance it out, but also because most times people say an anchovy tastes ‘fishy’ is because it is poor quality.

Where Is This Pasta From?

The traditional Pasta c’Anciuova (anchovy pasta) comes from Sicily, a large island in the south of Italy. It is commonly served with toasted breadcrumbs and an optional addition of capers.

My recipe is slightly different in that I do not add breadcrumbs or capers, but I do add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream. So no, I do not claim that this is an authentic Sicilian Pasta c’Anciuova (you can find the recipe for that here) but rather my interpretation of a delicious anchovy pasta.

You might also like: Spaghetti alla Carrettiera and Pasta alla Norma

How To Make Anchovy Pasta

The great thing about this recipe is it takes just ten minutes (if you already have the pasta made). There’s just 12 ingredients plus the water for boiling the pasta, but if you wanted to keep it more authentic you can leave out the cream. It is only a few tablespoons after all so consider it optional.

Ingredients

  • 500 grams Pasta – I like using fresh fettuccine for this recipe, but you can use fresh or dry or whatever you like.
  • 3-5 Anchovy Fillets – The more the merrier. I like using 5 large fillets for this recipe but if you wanted to tone it down you can use less.
  • 50 grams Butter
  • 6 cloves Garlic – Or to taste
  • 1 Lemon
  • 2 Calabrian Chilies
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 50 ml Heavy Cream – Optional
  • Black Pepper – Freshly cracked, To taste
  • Grana Padano – Or any hard salty cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano etc. To taste.
  • Olive Oil – As needed
  • Salt – To taste

Instructions

This is a very fast recipe so the important thing is to have everything prepared before you start cooking. The three ingredients you need to prep are the lemon, garlic, and chili. For the lemon just zest it with a zester or microplane. I like the garlic thinly sliced and the calabrian chilies chopped almost to a paste, but you can mince both if you prefer.

Set a pan on medium-high heat with a little olive oil (also start boiling your heavily salted water). Add the anchovy fillets and smash them up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Next add in the garlic, lemon zest, chili, butter, and oregano. Allow the butter to melt and stir everything together so it gets nice and combined.

Add in the heavy cream and black pepper and stir to combine. Lower the heat at this point so that you do not accidently split the sauce.

Use a whisk or a wooden spoon to stir the anchovy sauce as it thickens up. At this point you should put your fresh pasta in the water. Fresh pasta only takes about two minutes to cook so this is the perfect amount of time to allow the sauce to thicken. Add a few tablespoons of the starchy, salty pasta water and whisk that in as well.

Note: If you are using dry pasta you should start boiling it right at the start of making this recipe as dry pasta often takes 8-12 minutes to cook.

Add in the freshly cooked pasta and stir everything together. I like to add my pasta right from the water so it pulls more starch with it but you can strain if you prefer. Just toss the pan around with some tongs and you’re good to go. A homemade Sicilian-esque anchovy pasta in about 10 minutes of cook time.

Sicilian style anchovy pasta with grated cheese

Plate the pasta directly to a bowl and grate over as much cheese as you like. You can also add things like more black pepper, chili flakes, and yes, breadcrumbs. Enjoy!

What To Serve With This Anchovy Pasta Recipe

In Italy, pasta is known as a primi, so it is served before the main dish. As such, it is usually served on its own between the antipasti and the secondi. However if you are making this dish as the star of the evening then why not serve it along-side a nice salad. I would recommend a proper caesar salad to play off the anchovy theme, but it is up to you.

For the Americans some garlic bread would not go amiss, or any type of breadsticks in fact. I personally serve my anchovy pasta with a nice glass of valpolicella ripasso, my absolute favorite wine.

Sicilian style anchovy pasta with grated cheese

Anchovy Pasta

Anchovies are a great source of umami and this anchovy pasta is so tasty and addicting you’ll be asking for seconds. This dish comes straight from Sicily (anyone else addicted after White Lotus season 2?) and is made with plenty of simple, fresh ingredients.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course, Main Dish, Primi
Cuisine Italian, Sicilian
Servings 4 people
Calories 781 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Pasta I like using fresh fettuccine for this recipe but you can use fresh or dry or whatever you like.
  • 3-5 Anchovy Fillets The more the merrier. I like using 5 large fillets for this recipe but if you wanted to tone it down you can use less.
  • 50 grams Butter
  • 6 cloves Garlic Thinly sliced
  • 1 Lemon Zested
  • 2 Calabrian Chilies Chopped
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 50 ml Heavy Cream Optional
  • Black Pepper Freshly cracked, To taste
  • Grana Padano Or any hard salty cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano etc. To taste.
  • Olive Oil As needed
  • Salt To taste

Instructions
 

  • Set a pan on medium-high heat with a little olive oil (also start boiling your heavily salted water). Add the anchovy fillets and smash them up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
  • Next add in the garlic, lemon zest, chili, butter, and oregano. Allow the butter to melt and stir everything together so it gets nice and combined.
  • Add in the heavy cream and black pepper and stir to combine. Lower the heat at this point so that you do not accidently split the sauce.
  • Use a whisk or a wooden spoon to stir the anchovy sauce as it thickens up. At this point you should put your fresh pasta in the water. Fresh pasta only takes about two minutes to cook so this is the perfect amount of time to allow the sauce to thicken. Add a few tablespoons of the starchy, salty pasta water and whisk that in as well.
    Note: If you are using dry pasta you should start boiling it right at the start of making this recipe as dry pasta often takes 8-12 minutes to cook.
  • Add in the freshly cooked pasta and stir everything together. I like to add my pasta right from the water so it pulls more starch with it but you can strain if you prefer. Just toss the pan around with some tongs and you’re good to go. You can also squeeze in some of the lemon juice from the zested lemon to brighten the sauce up a bit.
  • Plate the pasta directly to a bowl and grate over as much cheese as you like. You can also add things like more black pepper, chili flakes, and yes, breadcrumbs. Enjoy!
Keyword Anchovies, fresh pasta, Seafood
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