Spaghetti with butter and anchovies: the recipe for a creamy and tasty first course

Ingredients
SPAGHETTI
320 gr
BUTTER
60 gr
ANCHOVY FILLETS IN OIL
14
BREAD CRUMBS
2 tbsp
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
q.b.
SALE
q.b.
BABY
q.b.
Spaghetti with butter and anchovies are a quick and fragrant first course, excellent to bring to the table for an express lunch with the family or for an impromptu dinner with friends. It is an easy recipe for everyone, in which the sweetness of the butter is perfectly balanced by the flavor of the anchovy fillets: for a creamy and balanced result that will win over even the most skeptical.

To prepare it you will need a few minutes and ingredients often already present at home: just let the anchovy fillets flavor briefly in melted butter and then use the sauce obtained to cream the spaghetti, boiled in lightly salted boiling water and drained al dente. Once served, the pasta is sprinkled with a handful of breadcrumbs , toasted in a separate pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and then completed with a generous grind of pepper .

As always, the excellent quality of the raw material used will determine the final success. For this preparation, choose a good centrifuged butter , or replace it with a clarified one , also suitable for lactose intolerant, and then opt for Cantabrian anchovies : meatier and tastier.

Find out how to prepare spaghetti with butter and anchovies by following the procedure and advice step by step. If you liked this recipe, also try the spaghetti with anchovies and walnuts .

How to prepare spaghetti with butter and anchovies

Step 1
In a non-stick pan, melt the butter with 1/2 tablespoon of oil
1
, then boil the spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water: be careful not to add too much salt, the anchovies are already naturally flavoursome.

Step 2
Combine 10 anchovy fillets
2
and let them flavor for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat.

Step 3
In a separate pan, toast the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of oil
3
for less than 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Step 4
Once ready, drain the pasta al dente (keep 1/2 glass of cooking water aside) and transfer it to the pan with the butter and anchovies
4
.

Step 5
Pour a drop of the cooking water kept aside
5
.

Step 6
Thoroughly mix the spaghetti
6
.

Step 7
Distribute the spaghetti with butter and anchovies on individual plates and sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs. Complete with a grind of fresh pepper and an anchovy in oil
7
, bring to the table and serve.

Advice
For a pleasantly crunchy note, in addition to the toasted breadcrumbs, you can use crumbled breadsticks , chopped dried fruit or taralli with fennel to complete the dish .

If you like, you can flavor the pasta with 1 sprig of chopped parsley or lemon zest while, for an even faster result, you can place the well-drained anchovy fillets only as a finish, without diluting them in melted butter.

In addition to spaghetti, tagliolini, linguine, vermicelli or another long format will also be fine : more suitable for “collecting” all the sauce.