Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)

FrankCampania, pasta, primi piatti, snack15 Comments

Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)

Linguine con alici, or Linguini with Anchovies, is another quick and easy dish for those days when you don’t really feel like cooking but you want to eat something tasty. It’s a riff off of the classic ajo e ojo with anchovies.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 persons

  • 400g (16 oz) linguini or other long pasta
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • A small can of anchovy fillets (50g/2 oz)
  • A sprig or two of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • A pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt
  • Olive oil

Directions

Start as you would for aglio, olio e peperoncino, by very gently browning a few cloves of garlic—for this variation, I like to chop the garlic rather than using slightly crushed cloves—in fruity olive oil. When the garlic is just beginning to brown, add some red pepper flakes and, almost immediately thereafter, a can of anchovy fillets. Allow to cook gently over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the anchovies have almost entirely ‘melted’. Add a pinch of salt (not too much, since the anchovies are already salty) and chopped parsley, stir and turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, cook your linguine (spaghetti are also excellent with this sauce) al dente in well salted water, drain (but not too well) and add to the skillet.

Mix well and allow the spaghetti to cook over gentle heat for just 30 seconds or so, long enough so that the pasta absorbs a bit of the sauce and any excess liquid evaporates. Taste for salt and serve immediately. Buon appetito!

Notes

Like ajo e ojo itself, the key to success when making Linguini with Anchovies lies in the fruitiness of the olive oil and the freshness of the garlic. Go easy on the salt, however, as the anchovies, of course, are themselves quite salty. Of course, if you use anchovies packed in salt—which you need to rinse and fillet yourself under running water—the flavor will be even better, but then you will have departed from ‘quick and easy’ territory.

As for measurements, Linguini with Anchovies another dish where they are not all that important—or rather, they can be varied according to taste. As for oil, I use just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Just leave any excess oil in the bottom of the skillet as you serve. But don’t skimp: this pasta is supposed to slither on your plate!

Print Recipe

Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)

Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400 g 16 oz linguini or other long pasta
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
  • A small can of anchovy fillets 50g/2 oz
  • A sprig or two of fresh parsley finely chopped
  • A pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  • Start by very gently browning the chopped garlic in fruity olive oil.
  • When the garlic is just beginning to brown, add some red pepper flakes and, almost immediately thereafter, a can of anchovy fillets.
  • Allow to cook gently over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the anchovies have almost entirely 'melted'. Add a pinch of salt (not too much, since the anchovies are already salty) and chopped parsley, stir and turn off the heat.
  • Meanwhile, cook your linguine (spaghetti are also excellent with this sauce) al dente in well salted water, drain (but not too well) and add to the skillet.
  • Mix well and allow the spaghetti to cook over gentle heat for just 30 seconds or so, long enough so that the pasta absorbs a bit of the sauce and any excess liquid evaporates. Taste for salt and serve immediately. Buon appetito!

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15 Comments on “Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)”

  1. Reply

    My Mom used to make her Spaghetti with Anchovies using Tomato Sauce and large sized spaghetti, then she sprinkled on toasted breadcrumbs. I recently discovered the breadcrumbs was the symbol for St. Joseph’s sawdust to honor his work as a carpenter! Your version without tomato sauce, is how my friend Mary’s mom made her Linguini con alici. Brings back wonderful memories for me when I make either version, which are both delicious! My Mom usually cooked her version on Ash Wednesday and on St. Joseph’s Day because it was my Dad’s Name Day. I can’t thank you enough Frank for this wonderful site!

    1. Reply

      Thanks, Joann! I’d never heard about the symbolism of the breadcrumbs. I love learning about the historical and cultural background of ingredients and dishes, as you probably know from following the site. Thanks for your readership, so nice to hear from you!

    1. Reply

      Use food tongs to pick up the pasta, and twirl as you place it onto the plate. Takes a bit of skill, but not much… Enjoy!

  3. Reply

    Reminds me of the Christmas eve meal at grandma’s house after Midnight mass. Great stuff.

  6. Reply

    Oh I have plans for this dish! You better believe it! After I'm married this weekend and we settle back in, we're doing pasta Wednesdays.. and this is the first one we're doing!!!

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