Colatura di alici, or anchovy sauce, is, for me (and for many others), forever tied to Cetara, a small fishing village on the Amalfi Coast that I discovered while escaping the crowds of larger, more famous towns like Positano or Amalfi, which draw hordes of tourists. Cetara quickly became my favorite village on the Amalfi Coast, not only for the joy of gazing at the sea from one of the terraces along its shore in the peacefulness typical of a small village but also for the flavors this little town has to offer.
As a fishing village, Cetara is famous for an ingredient with a fascinating history: colatura di alici. This anchovy sauce, obtained through a process of fermenting salted fish, is actually a descendant of garum, the fish sauce highly prized in Ancient Rome, which has not survived into modern times.
After tasting this pasta in Cetara, I knew I had to recreate the experience at home. So, I got to work, bringing a piece of history and a travel memory onto my plate. Here's how I did it.
Ingredients:
250 g pasta (spaghetti or tagliatelle)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons colatura di alici (anchovy sauce)
2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Juice from half a lemon
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Pepper to taste (no need for salt, as the anchovy sauce is already salty)
Optional: 1 anchovy fillet
Preparation:
I started by gently heating the olive oil in a pan over low heat. I added the thinly sliced garlic and let it cook slowly until it turned golden and began releasing its aroma into the oil. I made sure not to burn it to preserve the delicate balance of flavors.
Once the garlic became fragrant, I squeezed the juice from half a lemon directly into the pan and added the halved cherry tomatoes, letting them soften slightly while maintaining their texture.
Meanwhile, I cooked the pasta al dente (I used tagliatelle, but spaghetti works just as well). Once the pasta was ready, I drained it and added it directly into the pan, tossing gently so that each strand of pasta was coated in the sauce. I removed the pan from the heat and added the colatura di alici – this intense anchovy essence that the Italians told me should always be added at the end to avoid losing its strength during cooking.
Finally, I sprinkled freshly chopped parsley over the pasta and added a dash of freshly ground pepper. I served it immediately, alongside a glass of well-chilled Pinot Grigio, which perfectly complemented the intensity of the sauce and transported me right back to that little village on the Amalfi Coast.
If you don't have or can't find colatura di alici, you can easily substitute it with an anchovy fillet – the dish will have a similar flavor, though without the same complexity that the sauce provides.
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