You will love this Italian Pasta with Anchovies recipe!
In Italian cooking, anchovies are extremely common. Fresh anchovies are delicate little white fish and are very tasty. Baked fresh anchovies do not taste “fishy” or salty. The combination with pasta makes this a divine, upscale dinner you will surely enjoy!
I just love shopping with my hubby, while I pay attention to getting all the necessities, he has the time to look around the store and find me some unique and interesting finds like these Fresh Anchovies at the Whole Foods store.
Fresh Anchovies are hard to find, but they are super cheap, just $5.99/pound for the Wild Caught Anchovies from Spain!
Fresh Anchovies great battered in cornmeal and deep-fried or marinated in white wine vinegar and herbs. There are many ways of preparing these super tasty little fish.
I’ve decided to upscale them and create a fabulous meal for us.
So effortless! So chic!
We travel the world through food!
FRESH ANCHOVIES ARE DELICATE LITTLE WHITE FISH
Anchovies, besides being super tasty are very nutritious as well. They provide an excellent source of hard-to-find omega-3 fatty acids, low in mercury, a good supply of Vitamin D3 as well as a healthy source of protein.
HOW TO PREPARE ITALIAN PASTA WITH ANCHOVIES
4-5 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound fresh anchovies (sardines, smelts, or any small fish), cleaned & deboned
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 wine (White, Marsala, or your favorite)
- 1 lemon, the juice, and zest
- 2 small cloves of garlic cut into thin slices
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- cherry tomatoes halved
- bell pepper, sliced
- Fresh parsley
- salt/pepper to taste
- Pasta – 1 pound spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine
It’s best to clean out the innards, remove the backbone which makes it easier to eat afterward.
(Remove the head as well, I just kept it for the pictures!)
To clean anchovies is simple and quick, but just messy.
I basically use a small pairing knife making a small cut below the head and then pulling it off the rest of the body. When you pull off the head, usually all the guts come out with it. You should be able to do this all with one quick movement. Rinse the fish thoroughly and you are done.
I found this video to be helpful as well: https://youtu.be/eG0CqHVTOro
- You can assemble your dish and bake right away or let the anchovies marinate for an hour or overnight in the fridge.
- Assemble and bake in a preheated oven in the middle rack at 350F for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Prepare pasta according to the directions on the package while anchovies are baked.
You can serve the Baked Anchovies separately or on top of pasta as I have done.
Remove the heads before serving anchovies over pasta, if you haven’t done so prior to baking.
You will absolutely love the sauce. All these wonderful flavors that are mixed together are absolutely delicious mixed with pasta!
In Greece, sardines, anchovies, and herring are served with legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and beans. The combination not only is delicious but also nutritional.
Italian Pasta with Anchovies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
In Italian cooking, anchovies are extremely common. Fresh anchovies are delicate little white fish and are very tasty. Baked fresh anchovies do not taste “fishy” or salty. The combination with pasta makes a divine, upscale dinner you will surely enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound anchovies (sardines, smelts or any small fish), cleaned & deboned
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 wine (White, Marsala, or your favorite)
- 1 lemon, the juice, and zest
- 2 small cloves of garlic cut into thin slices
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- cherry tomatoes halved
- bell pepper, sliced
- parsley
- salt/pepper to taste
- Pasta
- 1 pound spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius)
- In a bowl mix: olive oil, wine, lemon juice and zest, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix well.
- Arrange cleaned and deboned anchovies in a large baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over the anchovies making sure all anchovies have been covered with the sauce.
- Add sliced tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, and chopped parsley on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, be careful not to overcook.
- Prepare pasta according to the directions on the package while anchovies are baked.
- Serve baked anchovies over pasta, with roasted potatoes, or on top of a salad.
