Look at this delicious Sicilian anchovy spaghetti recipe… What a surprisingly simple spaghetti dish this is! It contains very little ingredients: pasta, canned anchovies and breadcrumbs.
What is breadcrumb and anchovy spaghetti?
It is a classic Italian pasta dish.
Breadcrumb and anchovy spaghetti is made with garlic and olive oil.
Some versions also add grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, but I am not a fan of the combination of fish and cheese here.
Al dente spaghetti. The breadcrumbs add a crunchy texture.
The anchovies, garlic, and parsley are sautéed in olive oil and then added to the spaghetti.
Love canned anchovies?
Then you are in for a real treat!
Pasta c’anciova e muddica
You would be surprised though by the amount of people who hate them.
Me personally I could eat them all day, especially for lunch or as a salty snack in the afternoon.
Excellent with a nice cold beer.
This anchovy spaghetti comes from Sicily, Italy.
Over there the people call this dish pasta c’anciova e muddica.
In English pasta with canned anchovies and breadcrumbs.
This is as simple as simple will ever get.
Breadcrumbs
I used Japanese panko breadcrumbs for my anchovy spaghetti recipe below.
Any other type of breadcrumbs will also do.
I love the crunch of the pan fried panko in this anchovy spaghetti. However when I first made it, I used to give them a tiny little blend thinking the panko bread flakes would be too large.
I stopped doing that, larger breadcrumbs mean extra crunch!
Do you have some leftover bread?
Then you can even decide to make your own breadcrumbs from scratch!
Have you ever done that?
Sicilian Anchovy Spaghetti
Do you love recipes with canned anchovy?
Then you should also check out my mediterranean bagna cauda anchovy dip with butter and garlic!
You can find this dip in Southern France and Italy.
Not sure who originally came up with it.
But it is a delicious salty dip for a plate of colorful raw vegetables such as radishes, celery sticks, cauliflower and green asparagus!
Or how about a treat from Nice, France: pissaladiere, a mediterranean pizza topped off with caramelised onions, black olives and anchovies.
A great bite you can eat warm and cold!
And an excellent lunch on a hot summer’s day as well.
Enjoy!
Easy Breadcrumb & Anchovy Spaghetti
A delicious Sicilian anchovy spaghetti recipe, a surprisingly simple spaghetti recipe with canned anchovies and breadcrumbs.
- 9 oz dry spaghetti (250 g)
- 8 canned anchovy fillets in oil
- 3 oz breadcrumbs or panko (85 g)
- a handful fresh parsley chopped finely
- 2 small garlic cloves mashed
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Place a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add half of the olive oil. Once hot, add the breadcrumbs to the pan and season with a little pepper and salt.
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Stir the crumbs constantly for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown. Keep an eye on it or you risk burning the breadcrumbs. Once done, transfer the crumbs to a plate and set aside
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Fill a high and large pan with water and season with a dash of salt. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat and then add the spaghetti.
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Wipe the non-stick pan (in which you baked the crumbs) clean with some kitchen paper. Then add the mashed garlic and the rest of the olive oil. Place it over medium heat and add the anchovy fillets.
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Stir regularly until the anchovies have melted and the garlic is fragrant. Add the freshly chopped herbs. Season with a pinch of pepper.
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Drain the cooked spaghetti and add it to the anchovy sauce together with ⅔ of the breadcrumbs.
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Stir well to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the spaghetti onto plate and finish with the rest of the breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
Tomatoes
There are versions of this anchovy spaghetti recipe that also use tomatoes.
It looks like a lighter version of a pasta puttanesca, with breadcrumbs.
I have made that one before, however I prefer the simpler version without tomatoes.
Anchovies are also low in calories and fat and are a good source of iron and other beneficial nutrients.
Did people in Pompeii eat anchovies?
Roman cookbooks from that era mention anchovies as a popular ingredient.
Because food wasn’t easy to keep fresh in those days and in the Italian climate (especially meats, fish and vegetables), a kind of strong fishy anchovy sauce was served daily to mask the mouldy flavor of spoiled ingredients.
A fact that I just learned from our guide during a visit to the Pompeii site last year!