Welcome » Fettuccine with Anchovies and Garlic

Mark and I discovered fettuccine with anchovies and garlic at Edo Squid in Richmond, Virginia, and immediately knew we had to figure out how to make it at home. A lot of people freak out over anchovies but give this a chance.

So easy. So good. But be forewarned. Your breath will project the pungency of garlic. No kissing unless the two of you shared the dish! It’s okay if both of you have garlic breath… but it is never okay for just one to have it!

Cholesterol Buster Tip: This traditional recipe is an example of how to enjoy a satisfying meal without meat or poultry. Did you know that 3 ounces of skirt steak has 28% DV of cholesterol and the same weight of chicken breast has 21% DV? Compare that to olive oil, which clocks in at 0%. Each tablespoon of olive oil does, however, contain 9% DV saturated fat, and so it is a good idea to reduce the quantity by half to make it a cholesterol buster.

Fettuccine with Anchovies and Garlic Recipe

Servings: 4
Calories per: 526
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Difficulty: Easy

WHAT YOU NEED	WHAT TO DO	WHY
1/4 cup olive oil 1 ounce anchovies, salted and preserved in oil, blotted dry 4 ounces yellow onion, finely diced to 1/8 inch 1/3 cup freshly minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (preferably Calabrian)	Sauce: In a 10-inch ceramic nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, bring oil to a shimmer (~2 minutes). Add anchovies to the oil, breaking up with the back of a bamboo spoon. Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook gently to disintegrate and deepen in color (~1 hour). In the final 20 minutes, start the pasta.	Regular olive oil is sufficient here; heat destroys and wastes the subtle flavors of expensive extra-virgin. Bamboo is gentle on cookware. Calabrian peppers have a spicy, fruity flavor profile.
3 quarts tap water 12 ounces dry fettuccine 1 tablespoon fine sea salt	Pasta: In a covered 5-quart tri-ply stockpot, bring water to a rolling boil over high heat (~7 minutes). Add fettuccine and salt and give a big stir with a fork to separate the strands. When boiling resumes, reduce the heat to hold at a low rolling boil until pasta is al dente (as per package), ladle ~1 cup of hot pasta water into each serving dish to prewarm. Drain pasta thoroughly in a mesh strainer, giving vigorous shakes. Return to the pan and cover with a lint-free dishcloth. In the final 10 minutes, finish the sauce.	Turbulent water helps prevent gummy pasta. Adding salt after water is hot reduces metal pitting. A cloth keeps pasta warm without holding in excess steam.
1 tablespoon capers, drained 3 tablespoons pine nuts (pignoli) 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley	Finishing: Stir the capers and pine nuts into the sauce. Continue cooking while draining the pasta in a mesh strainer, giving vigorous shakes. Transfer to the sauce. With big tongs, toss pasta with the sauce and plate with a sprinkle of parsley over the top.	Adding the capers and pine nuts towards the end of cooking protects their texture.