# Tonnarelli con burro, alici e live

This is an ultimate anchovy pasta made with three main ingredients and a few pantry essentials. It's super quick, and the condiment is ready by the time the spaghetti are cooked.

- Servings: 1 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 85 g Tonnarelli (or any long pasta like spaghetti/spaghettoni)
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 Anchovies (in oil) for the sauce
- 3 Anchovies for decoration/topping
- 1 Lime (zest and juice as needed)
- Black pepper, freshly ground
- Salt, very light in the pasta water
- Pasta water

## Instructions

1. Start boiling a pot of water for the pasta, add just a tiny pinch of salt (or none at all) since the anchovies are salty.
2. Melt about 2-3 tbsp of the butter in a large pan over low-medium heat.
3. Add the 4 anchovies with a little bit of their oil and let them gently melt/disintegrate into the butter, stirring occasionally. Keep the heat low so it doesn’t burn.
4. Add the zest of half the lime to the butter-anchovy mix for that fresh aroma.
5. Cook the tonnarelli until al dente (follow package timing, but taste early).
6. Reserve a good cup of starchy pasta water before draining.
7. Transfer the pasta directly to the pan with tongs. Turn the heat to high and toss everything together, adding splashes of hot pasta water to create a glossy, emulsified sauce.
8. Let it finish cooking in the pan for 1-2 minutes, tossing vigorously.
9. Turn off the heat, add the zest of the remaining half lime (and a squeeze of juice if you want extra brightness), plus a generous grind of black pepper.
10. Mix well, plate it up, then finish with the extra 3 anchovies on top, more fresh lime zest, cracked black pepper.

## Equipment

- Pan
- Pot
- Tongs

## Tips

- Cook anchovies on very low heat so they don't burn.
- If the sauce starts to separate, toss in a bit more cold butter to bring it back together.
- Add a squeeze of lime juice if you want extra brightness.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDTb2mu5Dk/?igsh=MWRndXQxeW91YWF1ZA==
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/99654fcc-3141-44fb-8f24-9ba2ecb0b85f
- Extracted: 2026-06-27

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt