Spaghetti with fresh anchovy sauce are a true delight. With just a few simple ingredients, you get a light main course with extraordinary taste and aroma. It’s an easy dish that can be prepared while the pasta is cooking. We can customize it by adding a pinch of chili pepper, black olives; oregano or parsley for flavoring. In this preparation, it would be ideal to use the “piennolo” tomatoes of Vesuvius; however, in their absence, we can use cherry tomatoes.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 9 oz spaghettoni
- 10.5 oz fresh anchovies
- 15 piennolo tomatoes (or cherry type)
- 1 clove garlic without inner sprout
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste capers (optional)
- to taste fresh or dried oregano (or parsley)
- a small piece of chili pepper
Steps
Remove the entrails and bones from the anchovies and rinse them under running water. Transfer them to a colander to drain excess water.
Cut the tomatoes in half after washing them.
Bring water to a boil for the spaghettoni; once boiling, add the pasta. Add very little salt, as the capers are already salty.
Rinse the capers under running water to remove excess surface salt. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel and finely chop them with the garlic and chili pepper, then sauté the mixture over low heat in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
When the garlic is well sautéed (you will smell the aroma), raise the heat and add the anchovies. Sauté them on all sides for about a minute, stirring gently with a wooden fork (anchovies cook very quickly).
Add the tomatoes, adjust the salt only if necessary, lower the heat, cover, and let the tomatoes wilt for at least a couple of minutes (if the pasta is not yet cooked, turn off the fresh anchovy sauce but do not remove the lid; this way the tomatoes will wilt anyway, releasing all their aroma and flavor, and the cooking liquids will be retained inside, keeping the anchovies soft).
Drain the pasta al dente and add it to the sauce, mix well over high heat, finish with fresh or dried oregano or chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
Bon appétit
