Alex’s Anchovy Bucatini

  4.2 – 16 reviews  • Fish
Level: Easy
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  1. 3 cups cubed stale Italian bread
  2. Salt
  3. 1 pound bucatini pasta
  4. 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  5. 2 (2-ounce) cans anchovy fillets, in olive oil, minced
  6. 1 cup (2 large) roasted red bell peppers, seeded and finely minced
  7. 1 cup sweet onion, finely minced
  8. 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  9. 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  10. 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
  11. 1/3 cup minced Italian parsley leaves

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Put about 3 cups stale Italian bread on a baking sheet and put in hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, cool and add to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a bottom blade. Pulse into crumbs.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Remove 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and set aside.
  4. In a large saute pan, add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the bread crumbs and cook over medium-high heat until golden and well coated. Remove from the pan to a plate.
  5. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and when hot, add the anchovies and the minced red bell peppers and cook, rapidly, stirring them around with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and chili flakes, cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of the bread crumbs and half of the cheese. Stir in the pasta, toss to combine, adding the cooking liquid as needed.
  6. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with remaining cheese, bread crumbs and parsley. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 4 servings
Calories 896
Total Fat 37 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Carbohydrates 106 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugar 7 g
Protein 33 g
Cholesterol 37 mg
Sodium 1472 mg

Reviews

Barbara Dougherty MD
Hmmmm….similar to my linguine with anchovy sauce, where I incorporate, Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste and Garlic, topped with parsley, toasted walnuts or pine nuts, and freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Reggiano. Nonetheless, I made this, it was ok for a change….won’t make it again…prefer my own although I will try my recipe with the bucatini next time…for a change.
CAVEAT: I did heed other reviewers warning about only adding the breadcrumbs at the end, as it did seem reasonable to believe the bread would be soggy or gummy if incorporated before adding pasta water. That is why I only top my recipe with toasted nuts at the end.
Joshua Cox
Fantastic ! Love it!
Dennis Parker DDS
I love anchovies. I don’t know anyone else that does. So… I had a dinner party and tweeked this just a hair: No bread crumbs in sauce, only on top, Flavor was good, next time I will use a different pasta, maybe a smaller shaped one.
John Harmon
Very good. I am familiar with cooking with anchovies, and I like what they add, but I think I will increase red bell pepper next time. Also, next time I will leave out crumbs, didn’t add much.
Brittany Stanton
VERY GOOD!! next time I will use a smaller pasta. Also, I am going to make just the sauce with all of the bread crumbs and use it as a stuffing for fish. A+
William Butler
Guy was right–neither of us can stand anchovies but this was terrific.
Marcus Brown
Wow! The flavor was unbelievable! Next time however, no bread crumbs other than on top….it gummed up the sauce and I had to keep adding pasta water to get anything that resembled a sauce….4 cups! All in all, I was the hero tonight. This is a keeper!
Andrew Lynn
This is one of my favorites! I omit the bell peppers and onions. It is delish! I could eat this every day.
Luis Stokes
Amazing. Just amazing. I used only 1 can of anchovies as my wife hates them. Could not taste them at all but the richness was evident. Amazing. Will make it for company it was just that good.
John Sellers
I too love anchovies, but I found this dish to be just OK. It tasted as if something was missing, but I followed the recipe to a “T”. It was good, but forgetable.

 

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