Chef Graziella
Agnolotti del Plin
The pinched pasta of Piedmont, each tiny parcel sealed with thumb and forefinger, filled with braised meat that has surrendered to hours of slow cooking. Butter or broth. Nothing more.
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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
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The brash, bold pasta of Naples, where anchovies melt into olive oil, capers pop with brine, and Gaeta olives give their deep, wine-dark flavor to a sauce that comes together faster than you can set the table.
Main Dishes
Italian, Neapolitan
Weeknight
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
20 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
This is not a polite sauce. Puttanesca announces itself the moment the anchovies hit the hot oil: briny, pungent, unapologetic. The name refers to ladies of the night, though whether they invented it, ate it, or simply inspired its boldness depends on which Neapolitan you ask. No one agrees. Everyone has an opinion.
The sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta. This is its genius. Canned tomatoes, a handful of olives, a spoonful of capers, a few anchovy fillets, garlic, chili. Nothing more. The anchovies dissolve completely into the oil, leaving only their depth behind. If you can identify whole pieces of anchovy in the finished dish, you have done something wrong.
Puttanesca belongs to the dispensa, the Italian pantry tradition of cooking from what you have on the shelf. No fresh ingredients required beyond garlic and parsley. This is what you make at midnight when you are tired, hungry, and unwilling to leave the house. It rewards you far beyond the effort required.
Puttanesca appeared in Naples in the mid-20th century, though the precise origin remains contested. Some credit Sandro Petti, a restaurateur on Ischia, who improvised the sauce in the 1950s when late-arriving guests demanded food and he had only pantry staples. The name's colorful etymology has generated more speculation than any sauce deserves.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried spaghetti
Quantity
1 pound
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/3 cup
anchovy fillets
Quantity
4
packed in oil, drained
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
sliced thin
red pepper flakes
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (28 ounces)
crushed by hand
Gaeta or Kalamata olives
Quantity
1/2 cup
pitted and halved
capers
Quantity
3 tablespoons
rinsed and drained
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried spaghetti | 1 pound |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup |
| anchovy filletspacked in oil, drained | 4 |
| garlic clovessliced thin | 3 |
| red pepper flakes | 1/4 teaspoon |
| San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (28 ounces) |
| Gaeta or Kalamata olivespitted and halved | 1/2 cup |
| capersrinsed and drained | 3 tablespoons |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Large 12-inch skillet or sauté pan
- •Large pot for pasta
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Start the pasta water
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it generously. The water should taste like the sea. Begin the sauce before adding the pasta; the timing must align so the pasta finishes as the sauce is ready.
- 2
Dissolve the anchovies
In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the anchovy fillets. Using a wooden spoon, press and stir the anchovies until they dissolve completely into the oil, about 2 minutes. They should leave no visible pieces, only their essence in the fat.
If you think you dislike anchovies, you have never had them disappear into a sauce properly. They provide depth without fishiness. Trust the technique. - 3
Add garlic and chili
Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes to the anchovy oil. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 1 minute. Watch carefully. Burned garlic is bitter garlic, and bitter garlic ruins everything.
- 4
Add tomatoes and simmer
Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet. They will sputter. Stir to combine with the oil. Add the olives and capers. Bring to an active simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. The sauce should reduce slightly and the oil should begin to separate at the edges. Taste for salt; the anchovies, olives, and capers contribute salt, so add cautiously.
Never cook a sauce in a covered pan. The moisture must escape, allowing the flavors to concentrate. - 5
Cook the pasta
While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until it retains a firm bite at the center, about one minute less than the package suggests. You will finish cooking it in the sauce. Reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- 6
Marry pasta and sauce
Add the drained spaghetti directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss vigorously over medium heat for one to two minutes, adding splashes of pasta water as needed. The sauce should coat each strand, clinging without pooling. The pasta will finish cooking and absorb the flavors of the sauce.
- 7
Finish and serve
Remove from heat. Add the chopped parsley and toss once more. Serve immediately in warm bowls. Once the pasta is sauced, invite your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Puttanesca waits for no one.
No cheese. The anchovies make this a seafood sauce in spirit if not in substance, and Italians do not put cheese on seafood pasta. This is not negotiable.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out Gaeta olives if you can find them. They are smaller, darker, and more complex than Kalamata, with a wine-like depth. Kalamata will do in a pinch, but know you are making a substitution.
- •Salt-packed capers have superior flavor to those in brine. Rinse them thoroughly under running water for two minutes to remove excess salt. If using brined capers, a quick rinse suffices.
- •The anchovy quality matters. Look for fillets packed in olive oil, preferably from Sicily or the Cantabrian coast of Spain. Cheap anchovies taste like tin.
- •Some Neapolitans add a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved, in the last minutes. This is acceptable. Oregano is traditional in some versions. What is not acceptable is adding cream, bacon, or any other American invention.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce can be made several hours ahead and held at room temperature. Reheat gently while cooking the pasta.
- •This is not a dish for leftovers. The pasta absorbs the sauce as it sits. Make only what you will eat immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 400g)
Calories
650 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
5 mg
Sodium
1040 mg
Total Carbohydrates
89 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
18 g
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