The pantry's loudest sauce: anchovies melted into oil with garlic, olives, capers, and tomato. Salty, briny, unapologetic, and done before the pasta is.
Mise en place
Before you start
Melt the anchovies into warm oil with garlic and chili over medium-low, mashing, until they dissolve completely — 2 minutes. Nobody will taste "fish"; everybody will taste depth.
Add tomatoes, olives, and capers; simmer 10–12 minutes to a loose, chunky sauce.
Finish with parsley. Taste before salting — the brine trio usually got there first.
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight jar in the fridge, 3–5 days. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of starch-thickened sauces to stop a skin forming.
Freezing
Most sauces freeze 2–3 months; freeze in ice-cube trays for single portions. Emulsified butter/egg sauces don't freeze — they break on thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, whisking; butter- and egg-based sauces split when boiled. Loosen with a spoonful of warm water or stock.
Make ahead
Most sauces keep 3–5 days refrigerated and freeze in ice-cube trays for instant single portions. Emulsified butter sauces are best made within the hour.
Wine pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
Beer pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
On the plate
Serve it with
Garnish
A final swirl of butter or oil
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