Sparrow Tongues with Anchovies

Sparrow tongues with anchovies is a simple pasta of flat lingue di passero (or linguine), butter, garlic and anchovies, ready in 55 minutes. It serves 4, and the name refers to the pasta shape, not a bird; oil-packed anchovies skip the 30-minute soak and save half an hour.

Why This Recipe Works

The anchovies go in off the heat. Stirred into the warm butter, they melt into a smooth sauce, so no fishy chunks are left and the taste turns savory instead of sharp.

Fry the garlic and chili very gently in the butter, only until the garlic starts to brown. Hot oil makes garlic bitter fast, and low heat gives you a sweet, mellow base for the anchovies.

A spoonful or two of pasta water finishes the sauce. The starch in it ties the butter and anchovy together, so the sauce coats the flat strands instead of pooling in the bowl.

Sparrow Tongues with Anchovies Ingredients

• 10 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)
• 3 ounces butter
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
• 1 small chili pepper, very finely chopped
• 12 ounces dried lingue di passero or linguine
• 1 tablespoon very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

How To Make Sparrow Tongues with Anchovies

Prepare the anchovies

1. Soak if salted: If your anchovies are packed in salt, soak them in water for 30 minutes. This pulls out the extra salt, so the sauce doesn’t turn harsh.
2. Dry and debone: Pat the fillets dry on paper towels. Pull out any large bones you find.

Make the sauce

3. Fry garlic and chili: Melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic and chili. Keep the heat low and fry until the garlic just starts to brown, so it stays sweet.
4. Melt in anchovies: Take the pan off the heat and add the anchovy fillets. Stir until the sauce is smooth.

Cook and toss

5. Boil the pasta: Boil the 12 ounces of lingue di passero or linguine for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain it, but keep a little of the cooking water.
6. Loosen the sauce: If the anchovy sauce looks thick, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. It turns the butter and anchovy into a sauce that coats.
7. Toss and finish: Toss the pasta with the sauce until every strand is coated. Add the parsley and serve right away.

Recipe Tips

• Taste before salting: Anchovies and their oil already carry plenty of salt. Taste the finished pasta before you add any more.
• Keep the heat low: Browned garlic is sweet, burnt garlic is bitter. If the butter starts to spit, lift the pan off the burner for a moment.
• Save the pasta water: Scoop out a cup before you drain. You only need a spoonful or two, but it is hard to fix a dry sauce once the water is gone.
• Adjust the chili: One small chili gives a gentle warmth. Remove the seeds for less heat, or use a bit more for a sharper bite.

What To Serve With Sparrow Tongues with Anchovies

Serve this pasta right after tossing, in warm bowls, since the butter sauce sets as it cools. A simple green salad with lemon dressing or a plate of sautéed greens goes well beside it.

How To Store

• Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container for up to 2 days. The sauce firms up as the butter cools.
• Reheat: Warm the pasta in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water, stirring until hot all the way through.

FAQs

What are sparrow tongues pasta?

Lingue di passero is the Italian name for a flat type of spaghetti, and it translates as sparrow tongues. It is thin and slightly wider than regular spaghetti. It suits a simple sauce like this one.

Can I use linguine instead of lingue di passero?

Yes. Linguine is the closest widely available pasta and works the same way. Cook it for the time on the package, until al dente.

Do I have to use salted anchovies?

No, anchovy fillets in oil work fine and skip the soaking step. Drain them and pat them dry before you stir them into the butter.

Why does my sauce taste too salty?

Anchovies carry a lot of salt, and salted ones carry even more. Soak salted fillets for the full 30 minutes, and don’t salt the sauce itself. Adding a spoonful of pasta water also helps mellow it.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 560 kcal
• Total Fat: 20g
• Total Carbohydrate: 74g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 19g

Sparrow Tongues with Anchovies

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Flat pasta tossed in a smooth butter sauce of melted anchovies, garlic and chili, finished with parsley. A quick dinner for 4 that needs only six ingredients.

Ingredients

• 10 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)

• 3 ounces butter

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped

• 1 small chili pepper, very finely chopped

• 12 ounces dried lingue di passero or linguine

• 1 tablespoon very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

• Soak if salted: If your anchovies are packed in salt, soak them in water for 30 minutes. This pulls out the extra salt, so the sauce doesn’t turn harsh.
• Dry and debone: Pat the fillets dry on paper towels. Pull out any large bones you find.
• Fry garlic and chili: Melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic and chili. Keep the heat low and fry until the garlic just starts to brown, so it stays sweet.
• Melt in anchovies: Take the pan off the heat and add the anchovy fillets. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
• Boil the pasta: Boil the 12 ounces of lingue di passero or linguine for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain it, but keep a little of the cooking water.
• Loosen the sauce: If the anchovy sauce looks thick, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. It turns the butter and anchovy into a sauce that coats.
• Toss and finish: Toss the pasta with the sauce until every strand is coated. Add the parsley and serve right away.