Ingredients
Brown Butter Lemon Breadcrumbs
- 1½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- kosher salt
Tonno Sauce
- 1½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 anchovy filets oil-packed anchovy fillets
- ½ medium fennel bulb top and core removed, very thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup castelvetrano olives pitted and roughly torn
- ½ jar tomato puree
- 3 tins Fishwife Spanish Lemon Tuna do not drain
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
Pasta & To Finish
- ½ lb spaghetti cooked al dente, pasta water reserved
- olive oil for drizzle
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 handful fresh basil whole leaves
- sea salt flaky salt
Method
- Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until foam subsides and milk solids turn deep amber.
- Add panko and stir constantly until evenly golden and crisp. Pull off heat immediately.
- Add lemon zest and a pinch of kosher salt off heat. Toss to combine.
- Spread on a plate to cool completely.
- In a large wide skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add anchovy fillets and cook, pressing with a spoon, until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Add fennel and sea salt to the anchovy oil. Cook gently for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully softened, translucent, and sweet.
- Add olives and let warm for 1 minute.
- Add tomato puree, stir well, and bring to a gentle simmer. You're looking for a bare simmer: small bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes.
- Gently slide in tuna with all of its liquid. Fold once or twice to keep tuna in large pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes until warmed through.
- Add cooked spaghetti directly to the pan. Toss to coat, adding pasta water a splash at a time to loosen and gloss the sauce. If the sauce looks tight or greasy, add pasta water a tablespoon at a time, tossing between additions, until it looks silky.
- Cook together for 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in parsley.
- Twirl into warm bowls and drizzle with olive oil.
- Finish with brown butter breadcrumbs and flaky salt at the table.
Nutrition
Notes
Storage: cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water; add fresh breadcrumbs at serving so they stay crisp.
