Anchovy Butter Pasta
If you have butter, a tin of anchovies and some pasta in your kitchen, you can make this simple, rich and incredibly delicious anchovy butter pasta in no time!
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 8 anchovy fillets + olive oil from the tin
- 10 oz spaghetti
- 1 lemon optional
- parmesan optional
- fresh parsley finely chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as per the instructions on the pasta packet. Be sure to cook the pasta 2 - 3 minutes less than the suggested time on the packet as we want it to be very el dente when drained. Drain the pasta and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
- Melt butter: While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large fry pan on a medium - high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring quite often.
- Anchovies: Add the anchovies to the pan and stir through until they have broken down and melted into the butter. You can do this with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt as this sauce is already salty from the anchovies (salt may not even be needed!)
- Pasta: Turn the heat to low and add the pasta to the sauce, along with a splash of pasta water. Stir through until you have a silky and glossy sauce. Slowly add more pasta water if needed.
- Serve: If using lemon, parsley and parmesan, squeeze the lemon over the top followed by the parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Anchovies are the hero here — use a good quality tin in oil as they melt better and give a smoother, richer sauce.
- Stir the anchovies through the butter with a wooden spoon or whisk to make sure they are broken down and melt into the sauce.
- Reserve your pasta water — this is what helps create that silky, glossy sauce.
- Be generous with the butter, this is a simple recipe where each ingredient really matters.
- Cook your pasta just to al dente as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Taste before adding extra salt, the anchovies and parmesan are already quite salty.
- Best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be gently reheated with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 713IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
