Spaghetti with Anchovy Sauce from Cetara

This spaghetti recipe features anchovy sauce from Cetara, a charming village on the Amalfi Coast (Campania). Alternatively, it can be substituted with menaica anchovy sauce (of Greek fishing origin) from Pisciotta, another Campanian locality in Cilento. Optionally, you can add datterini cherry tomatoes, preferably yellow or mixed (yellow and red), to enhance flavor and color the dish.

What is anchovy sauce?

Anchovies are a key ingredient used not only to impart a characteristic umami flavor to many foods but also to add depth and complexity to the taste and aroma of sauces. This is achieved by extracting oil from the fish through a process called “traditional salting,” which involves immersing the anchovies in a brine of water and salt for at least 30 days. This process extracts the volatile compounds that give anchovies their unique taste and aroma. The residue obtained after this process is called “colatura” and is what we add to our dishes.

Spaghetti alla colatura di alici di Cetara

This spaghetti recipe has as its main ingredients the colatura di alici from Cetara, a charming village on the Amalfi Coast (Campania). If desired, you can add datterini cherry tomatoes, preferably yellow or mixed (yellow and red) to add even more flavor and color to the dish.

voti: 5 (6)

Print Recipe Vota la ricetta

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Course: First courses

Cuisine: Campanian cuisine

Servings: 4 persone

Ingredients

• 450 gr pasta spaghetti or bavette
• 6 tablespoons Anchovy sauce from Cetara or Pisciotta
• 1 clove Garlic large
• qb Extra virgin olive oil
• qb Parsley fresh
• qb Salt
• 1 number Chili pepper if desired
• 1 number Lemon

Cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes

Instructions

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente.
• Meanwhile, lightly brown the crushed garlic in olive oil with freshly chopped chili pepper (if desired, otherwise you can skip it).
• If you choose to add the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.
• Drain the spaghetti and toss with this sauce, adding the anchovy sauce and freshly chopped parsley, and a few slices of lemon to brighten the flavor.
  

Notes

The anchovy sauce is first blended with olive oil, then gently cooked with onions and garlic. Meanwhile, you can find ready-made anchovy sauce in a jar and a small box of cherry tomatoes (preferably fresh). Anchovy sauce can be used as a fish sauce substitute but has a more delicate flavor. For a vegetarian version, skip the anchovies and simply add vegetable broth.

Mix the sauce with the pasta as it cooks. This way, the sauce will fully coat the spaghetti, creating a richer flavor from the sauce.

Crush the garlic. This is a good trick that helps remove the garlic smell from your hands after chopping.

Express the garlic. This will help remove the garlic odor from your hands when you finish chopping it.

Season the tomato sauce with the anchovy sauce. Not only will the anchovies add a unique flavor, but you can also extract their aroma by adding the tomato sauce.

Conclusion

This pasta recipe is not only delicious but also a nutritious meal with many health benefits. The tomatoes in this sauce are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant linked to reduced risks of heart disease, prostate and lung cancers, and macular degeneration. Yellow cherry tomatoes are also rich in lycopene. This pasta recipe is low in fat and carbohydrates, making it a great option for those looking to lose weight. Moreover, it helps keep you feeling full longer, allowing for a more restful sleep.