TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Spaghetti con Colatura di AliciSpaghetti with Colatura di Alici
An uncooked sauce made with colatura, the aged anchovy fish sauce from Cetara on the Amalfi Coast. Simply emulsify colatura, olive oil, garlic and parsley with pasta cooking water, then toss with the pasta. This dish directly continues the tradition of the ancient Roman fish sauce garum.
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Spaghetti (1.9mm)400 g
- Colatura di alici (aged anchovy fish sauce)Very salty; follow the stated quantity.40 ml
- Extra virgin olive oil80 ml
- GarlicFinely chop.2 cloves
- Flat-leaf parsleyFinely chop.1 bunch
- Dried chili1 whole
Method
Prepare the sauce
- 1 Combine 40ml colatura, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 80ml olive oil, finely chopped parsley and 1 deseeded chili in a large bowl.
- 2 MeanwhileStart bringing a large pot of water to a boil, using half the usual amount of salt.
Ready when
The sauce ingredients are combined in the bowl.
Caution
Colatura is very salty. Use half the usual amount of salt in the cooking water.
Do not heat the sauce.
Cook the spaghetti
- 1 Add 400g spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions.
- 2 Reserve 100ml cooking water.
Ready when
The spaghetti is cooked and its cooking water has been reserved.
Caution
Be sure to reserve the cooking water.
Toss with the sauce
- 1 Add 50ml cooking water to the sauce in the bowl and stir well to emulsify.
- 2 Add the cooked spaghetti to the bowl and toss quickly with tongs.
- 3 If the consistency is insufficient, add the remaining cooking water.
Ready when
The emulsified sauce coats all the spaghetti.
Caution
No heating is needed: it would drive off the aroma of the colatura.
Finish and serve
- 1 Arrange on plates.
- 2 Drizzle with a few extra drops of colatura.
Ready when
The dish is ready once the colatura has been added.
Caution
Do not use Parmigiano: it competes with the fish sauce.
About this dish
Cetara, on the Amalfi Coast, is a small fishing village squeezed between cliffs and sea. Its colatura di alici has long been described as preserving the memory of garum, the fish sauce of ancient Rome.
In winter, particularly at Christmas, households in Cetara serve spaghetti with this fish sauce. The town’s character is evident in the place given at a festive meal to a modest dish built around preserved seafood, rather than a lavish meat course.
Today, colatura pasta remains a Cetara classic, enjoyed in local homes and trattorias alike. A custom from a small fishing village has become an essential taste for visitors to Campania.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
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