Spaghetti con le Acciughe
This is a bold, savory pasta with silky strands coated in melted anchovies, sweet garlic, chilli heat, and sharp capers. Crisp toasted breadcrumbs and fresh parsley give it contrast and lift, making it simple but intensely flavorful.
Ingredients
Pasta e acqua
- 180 gspaghetti
- 2 litreswater
- 12 gfine salt
Condimento di acciughe
- 45 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves, thinly slicedgarlic
- 8 fillets (about 40 g drained)anchovy fillets in oil
- 1/2 tspred chilli flakes
- 20 gcapers, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 15 g, finely choppedflat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 1/4 tspblack pepper
Mollica tostata
- 30 gcoarse dry breadcrumbs
- 10 mlextra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the fine salt. While it heats, slice the garlic, chop the capers and parsley, and zest the lemon so everything is ready before the pasta goes in; this sauce cooks quickly and can burn if you pause to prep mid-step.
- 2
In a wide frying pan over medium heat, toast the coarse dry breadcrumbs in the extra-virgin olive oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until evenly golden and crisp. Transfer immediately to a bowl so they do not keep cooking and turn bitter.
- 3
Cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water until 2 minutes shy of al dente according to the packet timing. Before draining, reserve about 250 ml of the pasta cooking water.
- 4
While the pasta cooks, warm the extra-virgin olive oil in the wide frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute until fragrant and just turning pale gold; do not let it brown. Add the anchovy fillets and mash them with a wooden spoon until they melt into the oil. Stir in the red chilli flakes, chopped capers, lemon zest, and black pepper for 30 seconds.
- 5
Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, adding more pasta water a little at a time until the sauce emulsifies and lightly coats the strands rather than sitting oily at the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and toss through most of the parsley.
- 6
Divide the spaghetti between warm plates. Finish with the toasted breadcrumbs and the remaining parsley. Serve immediately while glossy and hot.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •Rinsing capers removes excess brine so the dish stays balanced rather than overly salty.
- •If your anchovies are very salty, reduce the pasta water salt slightly to about 10 g for 2 litres.
- •A ladle of starchy pasta water is essential: it helps the anchovy-oil mixture cling to the spaghetti in a silky emulsion.
- •For extra aroma, add a few parsley stems to the oil briefly, then remove before adding the pasta.
Background
Pasta with anchovies is a classic southern Italian idea, especially associated with Naples and Sicily, where preserved fish, breadcrumbs, capers, and olive oil are pantry staples. Toasted breadcrumbs are often used in place of grated cheese in seafood pastas, adding texture and a frugal, deeply traditional finish.
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