Herby Spaghetti with Anchovy Butter
Serves 4
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick spaghetti
- Kosher salt
- 4 oz 1 stick unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 4-6 Calabrian chilis minced
- 6-8 anchovy filets
- ½ cup finely grated pecorino romano plus more for serving
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ cup each chopped fresh dill and parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper for serving
Instructions
- Bring a shallow amount of water to a boil over high heat. Season with a touch of salt (not as much as you normally would for pasta as we are using less water here!)**
- Drop pasta into boiling water and stir.
- While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat.
- Add in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add in Calabrian chilis and anchovies and cook, stirring, until the anchovies melt into the butter. Add in a couple splashes of pasta water to create a sauce and to stop the garlic and anchovies from cooking further.
- Once pasta is just a touch under al dente, add it to the pan with the butter along with another splash or two of pasta water.
- Continue to cook pasta in the butter sauce, stirring constantly until the pasta is al dente and a creamy sauce is created. Add more pasta water as necessary.
- Stir in cheese and, again, add more pasta water if needed.
- Stir in lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt.
- Stir in herbs.
- Serve topped with more pecorino, olive oil and black pepper.
Notes
*I would make sure to prep all the ingredients before starting cooking, as this dish comes together very quick!
**I do less water to create a very starchy pasta water that helps create a nice glossy butter sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
