Linguine with Sautéed Fish and Parsley Anchovy Sauce

A bright, savory, umami-rich way to add more seafood to your diet. Recipe below.

ON OUR RECENT TRIP TO BOSTON, our diet consisted mostly of seafood and cannolis. Since we’ve been back, we’ve been craving more seafood in our regular diet. Well, and cannolis too, but our doctor encourages only the former. So when we came across a recipe featuring fresh and tinned fish, and pasta, we were all in.

Linguine with Sautéed Fish and Parsley Anchovy Sauce comes together fairly quickly, but it has many moving parts and is not a one-pan dish. All those parts are vital, adding to the overall flavor, which is bright, savory and umami rich—and absolutely delicious.

The sauce includes shallots, red wine vinegar and lemon juice (the bright ingredients), tinned anchovy fillets and Parmesan (the umami), parsley (adding its peppery freshness) and olive oil. The sautéed white fish adds sweet, mild, meaty chunks to the dish, helping create an absolutely satisfying meal. If you’re concerned about the anchovy fillets, please, please, please don’t be. They seriously add umami, not fishiness. They’re a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, if that helps allay your fears. You’ll also find them in our Layered Pot Roast With Anchovies, Capers And Garlic.

The aforementioned no-cook sauce comes together in a blender or food processor. The cooking consists of boiling pasta and sautéing fish fillets, all easy peasy. For the fish, you want firm-fleshed white fish. We went with haddock, but you could also use cod or halibut or even tilapia.

If you’re looking to add more seafood to your diet, give this dish a try. We already know we’re going to add it to our regular rotation.

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Linguine with Sautéed Fish and Parsley Anchovy Sauce

A bright, savory, umami-rich way to add more seafood to your diet.

Servings 3 to 4 (see Kitchen Notes)

Ingredients

• 1 small shallot or 2 scallions, chopped
• 8 flat anchovy fillets (or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste)
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for sautéing the fish
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 2 6- ounce haddock fillets (or other firm white fish—see Kitchen Notes)
• 1/2 pound thin linguine, such as linguine fini or linguine piccole (you can also use spaghetti)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• In a blender or food processor, combine the shallot, anchovies, vinegar, lemon juice, half the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a generous grind of pepper. Blend to form a paste, scraping down the sides as needed. While the machine is running, drizzle in 1/2 cup oil. Add the hot water.
• Sauté the fish fillets. Pat them dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook until cooked 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let the fish rest for a few minutes and then break them into bite-size pieces with a fork.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, following package instructions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a medium bowl. Toss with the sauce, most of the fish chunks, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and the remaining Parmesan. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved water (we didn’t need any extra).
• Divide among shallow pasta bowls and top with the parsley and the remaining chunks of fish. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

How many servings? For dinner, this makes 3 nice servings, especially with a side of steamed vegetables or a salad. It can also be a light lunch for 4.

Choose a firm-fleshed white fish. You want this so it doesn’t totally fall apart when you mix it with the pasta and sauce. Ideally a couple of 6-ounce fillets, which will cook up nicely without overcooking. We went with haddock, but you could also use cod or halibut or even tilapia.