This is a very simple yet extremely satisfying pasta dish, ready in max. 15 minutes. I like to make it with spaghettoni (the thicker spaghetti) but you can of course make it with any other long pasta.
The anchovy is a great taste enhancer which makes the dish loved also by those who don’t usually appreciate fish. This happens because you have to completely dissolve them into the sauce: like that, you won’t taste the anchovy but it will be able to impart that wonderful umami flavour just like a dash of Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce would.
I like to use anchovies preserved in olive oil.
A tip: drain the pasta very al dente (which means: still quite chewy) because it will cook further inside the pan with the sauce, absorbing all its wonderful flavours and releasing the starches that help thickening it up and make it creamy.
There’s no need to add salt since the anchovies are already quite salty.
You can find the video recipe on my Instagram account right.
Spaghettoni con burro, acciuga e aneto
Serves 1:
40 gr. butter
a dash of ev olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper
2 anchovy fillets in oil
90 gr. spaghettoni or other long pasta
a handful of dill
1 small lime
Bring enough water to a boil and salt abundantly.
In the meantime, melt the butter with a dash of olive oil and gently fry the chopped garlic and chilli in them.
Let the garlic become a bit golden and add the anchovies. Break them with a wooden spatula and let them completely melt into the butter and oil.
Cook the pasta until very al dente.
While the pasta cooks, add some of the cooking pasta water to the garlic and chilli and let is soften until very well cooked.
Chop some fresh dill and keep aside.
Drain the pasta (keep some of the cooking water) and add to the butter and garlic sauce.
Let the spaghetti cook further and add some pasta water from time to time.
Once the pasta is nice and al dente but not hard anymore, add the dill, stir, garnish with some grated lime zest and serve immediately.
