Spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs is an incredibly simple and speedy Italian pasta dish.
This recipe requires just a few ingredients: anchovies in oil, breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic, and of course, spaghetti.
This dish is a traditional Sicilian specialty, but it's also popular in other regions, especially in Southern Italy. It's known for being a quick and easy meal to make, bursting with flavor.
Whether you're looking for a fast dinner option or a late-night snack to share with friends, spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs is a perfect choice. It's ideal for those times when you want to prepare something delicious without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Similar to Spaghetti aglio e olio and Penne all'arrabbiata, this dish is great for gatherings and creating a friendly atmosphere. It's made with ingredients that most people usually have at home, making it convenient and accessible.
The unique feature of this recipe is the toasted breadcrumbs, which are cooked in a pan until golden and crispy. This adds not only a wonderful crunch but also enhances the overall taste of the dish.
Now, let's walk through how to make spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs, a quick yet amazing Italian recipe, step by step!
Ingredients
- Prep Time: 5 Min
- Cook Time: 20 Min
- Servings: 4
- 350 g (¾ pound) of spaghetti
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 40 g (~1 ½ oz) of anchovies in oil
- 80 g (~3 oz) of breadcrumbs
Instructions
Step 1) - Start by filling a pot with water and bringing it to a boil for the spaghetti. Don’t add too much salt since the anchovies are already quite salty.
While waiting for the water to boil, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Add whole garlic cloves to the pan and let them cook until they start to sizzle, which should take a couple of minutes.
Once the garlic is sizzling, add the drained anchovy fillets to the pan.
To help dissolve the anchovies, pour in a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Stir the mixture well to ensure the anchovies melt into the oil, which should take around 5 minutes.
Step 2) - In a separate pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and stir continuously until they turn golden brown and crispy. Once toasted, set the breadcrumbs aside.
Step 3) - Once the water in the pot is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook for only 5 minutes. After this short initial cooking time, remove the garlic cloves from the frying pan and transfer the partially cooked spaghetti directly into the pan with the anchovy sauce.
Finishing the Spaghetti in the Sauce
Step 4) - Continue cooking the spaghetti in the anchovy sauce for about another 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan. If necessary add more. Stir occasionally to ensure the pasta cooks evenly and absorbs the flavors from the sauce.
Step 5) - When the spaghetti are fully cooked, turn off the heat. Mix in some of the toasted breadcrumbs, stirring well. If the pasta seems too dry, add a little more of the pasta cooking water. Finally, sprinkle a bit more of the toasted breadcrumbs over the top of the dish.
Serve the spaghetti immediately while it’s still hot. Garnish with a final sprinkle of the toasted breadcrumbs for added crunch and flavor. Enjoy your delicious spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs!
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Storage
Spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs is a dish that tastes best when eaten immediately after it's prepared. It's a meal you should enjoy right away. Because of this, it's not a good idea to store or freeze it for later!
Tips and Variations
Types of Pasta
For this recipe, spaghetti is usually the pasta of choice. One reason is that spaghetti cooks faster compared to other types of pasta. Additionally, its shape is perfect for the technique called "risottare" in a pan. If you prefer, you can also use linguine or fusilli for this dish.
Different Flavorings
If you don't like garlic, feel free to skip it. Instead, you can use onion or simply melt some anchovy fillets in hot oil. For those who enjoy a bit of heat, adding a hot chili pepper to the sauté is a good option. Just remember to remove the chili pepper along with the garlic afterward.
To make the dish richer but still quick and easy, consider adding capers or pitted olives. For a fresh and zesty touch, grate some lemon zest over the pasta before serving.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are an essential ingredient in this recipe. It's important to use high-quality, fresh breadcrumbs because stale ones can ruin the dish. Homemade breadcrumbs are highly recommended as they are superior to store-bought ones.
You can enhance the flavor of the breadcrumbs by adding herbs like oregano, chili pepper, or parsley.
For more detailed guidance on making excellent homemade breadcrumbs, check out our article "How to Make Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs" where we share all the tips and tricks you need.
Origins and Curiosities
This dish has its roots in Sicilian cuisine but is also well-loved in southern regions of Italy, like Calabria and Basilicata.
In Sicily, breadcrumbs are known as "La muddica," or "muddica atturrata" in the local dialect, meaning toasted breadcrumbs. These are not the fine breadcrumbs you find in supermarket boxes. Muddica is made from coarsely grated crumbs of day-old or stale homemade bread with the crusts removed.
Traditionally, the coarse crumbs were first toasted in a dry pan until they smelled wonderful. After that, they were sautéed in olive oil until they turned crisp and golden brown.
In Sicily, muddica was often called the poor man's cheese because people used it when grated cheese was too expensive or unavailable. It was also a clever way to use up stale bread. These golden, crispy crumbs add a lot of flavor and crunch to this simple dish, making it truly amazing.
Nowadays, these toasted breadcrumbs are seen as a special and delicious addition that brings out the best in the dish.
Recipe Card
Spaghetti with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 350 g spaghetti ¾ pound
- 5 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cloves garlic
- 40 g anchovies in oil ~1 ½ oz
- 80 g breadcrumbs ~3 oz
Instructions
- Start by filling a pot with water and bringing it to a boil for the spaghetti. Don’t add too much salt since the anchovies are already quite salty.
- While waiting for the water to boil, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Add whole garlic cloves to the pan and let them cook until they start to sizzle, which should take a couple of minutes.
- Once the garlic is sizzling, add the drained anchovy fillets to the pan.
- To help dissolve the anchovies, pour in a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Stir the mixture well to ensure the anchovies melt into the oil, which should take around 5 minutes.
- In a separate pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and stir continuously until they turn golden brown and crispy. Once toasted, set the breadcrumbs aside.
- Once the water in the pot is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook for only 5 minutes. After this short initial cooking time, remove the garlic cloves from the frying pan and transfer the partially cooked spaghetti directly into the pan with the anchovy sauce.
- Continue cooking the spaghetti in the anchovy sauce for about another 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan. If necessary add more. Stir occasionally to ensure the pasta cooks evenly and absorbs the flavors from the sauce.
- When the spaghetti are fully cooked, turn off the heat. Mix in some of the toasted breadcrumbs, stirring well. If the pasta seems too dry, add a little more of the pasta cooking water. Finally, sprinkle a bit more of the toasted breadcrumbs over the top of the dish.
- Serve the spaghetti immediately while it’s still hot. Garnish with a final sprinkle of the toasted breadcrumbs for added crunch and flavor. Enjoy your delicious spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs!
MICHAEL says
Hello! Just made this for the 1st time and it was really great. I have a question, though about one of the steps:
"Step 4: Continue cooking the spaghetti in the anchovy sauce for about another 5 minutes. Add 1 or 2 cups of the pasta cooking water to the pan. Stir occasionally to ensure the pasta cooks evenly and absorbs the flavors from the sauce."
Do you mean to cook 5 minutes in the anchovy sauce THEN add 1-2 cups of pasta water and finish? And would you suggest adding 1 cup at a time?
Also, I used the Breadcrumb technique with some older sourdough bread and although it seemed very crispy after the toasting step the end-result was a little soggier than I think it should have been.
Thanks!!!
Barbara Felicità Lucchini says
Hi Michael,
No, 5 minutes total. The pasta should finish cooking in the sauce. But the anchovy sauce is too “dry” for that. So add the cooking water. I adjusted the amount to 1/2 cup or more if needed. If you are not experienced, actually 1 or 2 cups is too much to handle. To be on the safe side, add tablespoons of water instead of cups and taste often to have more control over the cooking of the pasta and the consistency of the sauce.
If you add breadcrumbs, this will absorb the excess liquid. If the pasta turned out a bit soggy, maybe it's because there was too much cooking liquid
MICHAEL MAGGS says
Thanks for the reply!
To be clear: The pasta came out perfectly. I added little under 2 cups and stirred almost constatly to agitate the starch and keep all pasta in hot water until the pasta was done (5 min) -- I wasn't sure how much water should still be in the pan -- there was a little. But, the crumbs ended up a little soggy, so maybe there was too much water left once the pasta was finished and reducing to 1/2 cups at a time is key?
Barbara Felicità Lucchini says
Correct!!! Add little water at a time and taste often. Extra tip: Before serving, on each plate, add some toasted breadcrumbs!