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Spaghetti with anchovy sauce, walnut pesto and fried scabbardfish

by Gennaro Esposito
  1. 'Spaghetti con colatura di alici', walnut pesto and fried silver scabbardfish
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The anchovy here comes from 'colatura di alici' – a by-product of the salting and fermentation of anchovies. The intense flavour of this amber liquid is typical of the Amalfi coast and can often be found stirred through spaghetti or linguine. Here, Gennaro Esposito adds new flavour dimensions to the traditional Italian pasta dish with a walnut pesto and fried morsels of silver scabbardfish – a delicately-flavoured white fish.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Spaghetti

Tomato sauce

Walnut pesto

Silver scabbardfish

  • 200g of silver scabbardfish, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g of Parmesan
  • 100g of plain flour
  • 250g of vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of pepper

To serve

SAVE RECIPE

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Muslin cloth
  • Food processor

Method

1
Begin by making the tomato sauce – this can be made ahead of time and reserved until needed. Place both types of tomato in a blender and blitz together to a purée
2
Pour into a muslin cloth and pull the corners together to create a sack. Hold over a bowl and squeeze to release as much juice as possible – discard the pulp left in the cloth. Weigh out 70g of the tomato juice and set aside
3
Add the stale bread (for the pesto) to the bowl with the remaining tomato juice and allow to soak for 5–10 minutes to soften
4
To make the walnut pesto, place the walnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios in a food processor and blitz together until finely chopped. Squeeze out any excess tomato juice from the bread and add to the processor
5
Continue to blend while you pour in the olive oil, then add the capers, olives, anchovies and garlic and blend until thick and fairly smooth. Season with salt and pepper
6
Weigh out 20g of the walnut pesto and add to a bowl with the reserved 70g of tomato juice – keep the rest of the pesto for serving. Add the anchovy sauce, chopped fennel and parsley sprigs, lemon juice, oil and garlic to the bowl and mix together. Season to taste and set aside
7
For the silver scabbardfish, crack the eggs into a shallow dish and whisk in the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Place the flour in another shallow dish, then roll the pieces of fish first in the flour to coat, then dip in the beaten eggs
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g of Parmesan
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of pepper
  • 100g of plain flour
  • 200g of silver scabbardfish, cut into 3cm pieces
8
Place the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan (or preheat a deep-fryer) and heat to 180°C. Fry the scabbardfish pieces in batches until crisp and golden then drain any excess oil on kitchen paper
  • 250g of vegetable oil, for frying
9
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a medium heat, add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente
10
Drain the spaghetti through a colander and add to the bowl with the tomato water, pesto and anchovy sauce mixture. Toss to coat the pasta in the anchovy sauce, then twist into nests to serve, drizzling any remaining sauce over the plates
11
Add a few pieces of the fried fish to each plate, along with a few quenelles of the reserved walnut pesto. Garnish with the fried scabbardfish, quenelles of walnut pesto and sprinkle over some of the finely chopped walnuts. Finish with a sprig of fennel to serve
First published in 2016
Gennaro Esposito

Having run his own restaurant for the last twenty-three years, Gennaro Esposito has had a remarkable career rooted in his hometown of Vico Equense. Working with Michelin-starred greats and earning two stars for himself, these achievements have only strengthened his passion and resolve to achieve new culinary heights.

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