Spaghetti with anchovies and crunchy breadcrumbs is a tasty and flavorful first course. It’s still a simple dish, prepared with few ingredients and in a short time, as the sauce is made while the pasta cooks.
It’s also a great way to use up stale bread. In fact, if you can’t find panko, which is this Japanese breadcrumb, coarser than the classic breadcrumbs we find at the supermarket, you can simply grind stale or even dry bread with a food processor. I always do this, and it results in larger flakes that add more crunchiness to dishes. Try it also for breading cutlets or making gratins!
You can add a touch of freshness to the spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs by adding fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 1 Minute
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 11.3 oz spaghetti
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1.8 oz panko (or coarsely ground stale bread)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste chili pepper
- 10 fillets anchovies in oil
- 10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- to taste chopped parsley
Steps
To prepare the spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it and add the pasta.
In the meantime, heat 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add the panko. Toast for a few minutes until crunchy. Add the chopped rosemary and thyme leaves, mix, and place in a small bowl.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes in oil, slice them into strips, and set aside.
In the same pan where you prepared the crunchy breadcrumbs, heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil with the garlic clove crushed with a knife blade, chili pepper to taste, and anchovy fillets. Dissolve the anchovies in the oil by stirring. Add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for another couple of minutes.
Drain the pasta al dente, reserving some cooking water, and place it directly into the pan with the sauce. Toss, adding cooking water as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of crunchy breadcrumbs, mix again, and plate the spaghetti. Add 1-2 tablespoons of crunchy breadcrumbs on each serving and, if desired, some chopped parsley.
Serve your spaghetti with anchovies and crunchy breadcrumbs immediately.
Suggestions
You can add a touch of freshness to the spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs by adding fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half!
