Naples & Campania
Spaghetti alla puttanesca
Spaghetti alla puttanesca, 6 ways
A southern Italian dish built entirely from pantry staples: anchovies, capers, and olives. The main forks are when and how the anchovies hit the heat, and whether the olives and capers are sautéed before the sauce comes together or stirred in afterward.
GialloZafferanoVincenzo's PlateNot Another Cooking ShowFabioChef Ropia (Akifumi Kobayashi)Pasta Grammar
Official videos by Tomomi Ogura
A representative video and official arrangements with different ingredients or pasta. Check the original videos for the method.
Puttanesca Live
Watch the official video on YouTube ↗Choose from the cooks’ recipes
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GialloZafferanoItaly's largest recipe media outlet (founded 2006, now under Mondadori) Source verified
Traditionalist who pulls the whole garlic cloves before serving
- Uses whole, peeled garlic cloves to scent the oil, then removes them, in the traditional manner
- Melts the anchovies in with the chili and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, then adds the olives later — a two-stage build
- Skips cheese and any finishing oil entirely, just flipping the cooked pasta in the sauce pan for 30 seconds
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In the chef’s words
- Anchovy pasta sauce brings a little bit of that old-world Neapolitan comfort to the table source
References: [1]
Vincenzo's PlateItalian-born, Sydney-based YouTube channel Source verified
Hand-crushes the olives to release their juice
- Hand-crushes the Kalamata olives before adding them, using the released juice to give the sauce a smoky note
- Splashes in water while sautéing to keep the garlic from burning
- Explicitly states that the starch in the pasta water gives the sauce a proper emulsion
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In the chef’s words
- Pasta water is a valuable ingredient for creating a well-emulsified, thick sauce... the starch in the pasta water helps the sauce adhere to the pasta source
References: [1]
A milder reworking, aimed at winning over a skeptic
- Chooses mild Castelvetrano olives to work around a dislike of olives and anchovies, balancing them with heat and acidity
- Swaps the traditional parsley for fresh basil, and adds olive-oil-toasted breadcrumbs as a topping
- Deglazes the sauce with lemon juice, adding a bright acidity to a recipe built on preserved ingredients
- Salts the boiling water lightly and uses a small pot to concentrate the starch in the pasta water
FabioItalian cook (freelance chef; YouTube channel) Source verified
Sautés the olives and capers in oil before anything else
- Crushes the garlic and chili together, seeds included, into a paste that becomes the base for a punchy sauce
- Sautés the olives and capers in oil before anything else, the reverse of the more common Italian method of adding them to a finished tomato sauce
- Skips sautéing the anchovies, instead melting them into the sauce after the tomato has reduced, to keep the fishy edge in check
- Adds no salt at all, relying entirely on the processed ingredients' own saltiness and the 1.5%-salted pasta water
References: [1]
A shortcut approach built on a homemade tomato sauce
- Builds on a homemade tomato sauce and semi-dried tomatoes prepared in advance, a two-stage setup that shortens the day-of cooking
- Starts the oil, garlic, and chili in a cold pan and brings the temperature up together — a 'cold start' for drawing out aroma
- Explicitly tears the olives by hand, noting slicing as an acceptable substitute
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In the chef’s words
- Using the tomato sauce and semi-dried tomatoes I made before, I think you can build an even more distinctive dish source
References: [1]
Pasta GrammarA husband-and-wife channel: Eva, from Calabria, Italy, and Harper, from the US Source verified
A lighter style built on raw grape tomatoes and black pepper
- Uses fresh grape tomatoes rather than canned, letting them break down for a lighter sauce
- Skips chili altogether, using black pepper alone for heat
- Crushes the garlic with the skin on just to scent the oil, then removes it and fully replaces it with anchovy oil before moving on
References: [1]
Compared on 9 axes
Figures are transcribed as written in each video or recipe page
| AXIS | GialloZafferano | Vincenzo's Plate | Not Another Cooking Show | Fabio | Chef Ropia (Akifumi Kobayashi) | Pasta Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta, amount, and cooking | 320g spaghetti (serves 4) | 300g fettuccine | Half a pound of square spaghetti (per serving, can be doubled) | 1.7mm spaghettini | 80g spaghetti | 160g spaghetti/linguine/penne (serves 2) |
| Handling of garlic | 3 whole peeled cloves; scent the oil, then remove | 2 crushed cloves; cooked without browning, with splashes of water | 4 cloves, thinly sliced; deliberately extra for toastiness | Peeled, cored, then finely chopped in a crushing motion. About 10g | 1 clove, sliced (crushing or mincing also noted as fine) | Crushed with skin on, just to scent the oil, then removed |
| Use of chili | 2 dried chilies, chopped | 2 chilies (fresh or dried), finely cut | 1 tbsp chopped Calabrian chili | Chopped with seeds in and crushed together with the garlic (adjust heat to taste) | 1, heated from cold together with the oil in the pan | None — pepperiness comes from black pepper instead |
| Timing of adding anchovies | 25g, sautéed with the garlic and chili over medium heat for 5 minutes until dissolved | 6 fillets, melted into the oil over low heat with a little water added as needed | 3 fillets (can go up to 8-10 for more, lightly chopped) | Not sautéed — melted into the sauce after the tomato has reduced | 1 fillet, added once the garlic has turned golden | 3 fillets, sautéed for 1 minute and melted in |
| Type and prep of olives | 100g pitted Gaeta olives, broken up and added in the back half of the sauce | 3 tbsp Kalamata olives, hand-crushed to release their juice before adding | About 5 Castelvetrano olives, pitted and finely chopped | Pitted and crushed, sautéed in oil first alongside the capers | About 4, torn by hand (slicing also fine) | 10 Kalamata olives, sliced and added |
| Prep of capers | 10g salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped | 2 tbsp salted capers, well rinsed | 2 tbsp, chopped along with the olives | Added to the oil at the same time as the olives to bring out their aroma | 5g, added at the same time as the anchovy and semi-dried tomato | 1 tbsp, chopped and added |
| Type and amount of tomato | 800g canned peeled whole tomatoes, lightly crushed, simmered 10 minutes | 400g canned peeled tomatoes, crushed with a masher and added | Half a can of Mutti cherry tomatoes | Whole peeled tomatoes, added whole and left coarse rather than fully crushed | 90g homemade tomato sauce plus semi-dried tomatoes (no fresh canned-tomato cooking on the day) | 35 grape tomatoes, halved and used (no canned tomato) |
| Finish | Chopped parsley only; no cheese or breadcrumbs | Plenty of parsley, plus an extra drizzle of olive oil | Deglazed with lemon juice; breadcrumbs, basil, and Parmigiano added | No added salt — relies on the sauce's own saltiness, plus the pasta water for emulsion | Italian parsley and a finishing drizzle of oil, dried oregano optional | Just black pepper and chopped parsley; no cheese |
| Time required | 20 minutes prep + 20 minutes cooking | Not specified | Not specified (roughly 20-25 minutes by the pacing of the video) | Not specified (video runs about 15 minutes) | Not specified (roughly 10 minutes by step count) | 10 minutes simmering + 2 minutes finishing |
| Source check | Source verified | Source verified | Source verified | Source verified | Source verified | Source verified |
GialloZafferano Traditionalist who pulls the whole garlic cloves before serving
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- 320g spaghetti (serves 4)
- Handling of garlic
- 3 whole peeled cloves; scent the oil, then remove
- Use of chili
- 2 dried chilies, chopped
- Timing of adding anchovies
- 25g, sautéed with the garlic and chili over medium heat for 5 minutes until dissolved
- Type and prep of olives
- 100g pitted Gaeta olives, broken up and added in the back half of the sauce
- Prep of capers
- 10g salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
- Type and amount of tomato
- 800g canned peeled whole tomatoes, lightly crushed, simmered 10 minutes
- Finish
- Chopped parsley only; no cheese or breadcrumbs
- Time required
- 20 minutes prep + 20 minutes cooking
- Source
- Source verified
Vincenzo's Plate Hand-crushes the olives to release their juice
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- 300g fettuccine
- Handling of garlic
- 2 crushed cloves; cooked without browning, with splashes of water
- Use of chili
- 2 chilies (fresh or dried), finely cut
- Timing of adding anchovies
- 6 fillets, melted into the oil over low heat with a little water added as needed
- Type and prep of olives
- 3 tbsp Kalamata olives, hand-crushed to release their juice before adding
- Prep of capers
- 2 tbsp salted capers, well rinsed
- Type and amount of tomato
- 400g canned peeled tomatoes, crushed with a masher and added
- Finish
- Plenty of parsley, plus an extra drizzle of olive oil
- Time required
- Not specified
- Source
- Source verified
Not Another Cooking Show A milder reworking, aimed at winning over a skeptic
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- Half a pound of square spaghetti (per serving, can be doubled)
- Handling of garlic
- 4 cloves, thinly sliced; deliberately extra for toastiness
- Use of chili
- 1 tbsp chopped Calabrian chili
- Timing of adding anchovies
- 3 fillets (can go up to 8-10 for more, lightly chopped)
- Type and prep of olives
- About 5 Castelvetrano olives, pitted and finely chopped
- Prep of capers
- 2 tbsp, chopped along with the olives
- Type and amount of tomato
- Half a can of Mutti cherry tomatoes
- Finish
- Deglazed with lemon juice; breadcrumbs, basil, and Parmigiano added
- Time required
- Not specified (roughly 20-25 minutes by the pacing of the video)
- Source
- Source verified
Fabio Sautés the olives and capers in oil before anything else
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- 1.7mm spaghettini
- Handling of garlic
- Peeled, cored, then finely chopped in a crushing motion. About 10g
- Use of chili
- Chopped with seeds in and crushed together with the garlic (adjust heat to taste)
- Timing of adding anchovies
- Not sautéed — melted into the sauce after the tomato has reduced
- Type and prep of olives
- Pitted and crushed, sautéed in oil first alongside the capers
- Prep of capers
- Added to the oil at the same time as the olives to bring out their aroma
- Type and amount of tomato
- Whole peeled tomatoes, added whole and left coarse rather than fully crushed
- Finish
- No added salt — relies on the sauce's own saltiness, plus the pasta water for emulsion
- Time required
- Not specified (video runs about 15 minutes)
- Source
- Source verified
Chef Ropia (Akifumi Kobayashi) A shortcut approach built on a homemade tomato sauce
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- 80g spaghetti
- Handling of garlic
- 1 clove, sliced (crushing or mincing also noted as fine)
- Use of chili
- 1, heated from cold together with the oil in the pan
- Timing of adding anchovies
- 1 fillet, added once the garlic has turned golden
- Type and prep of olives
- About 4, torn by hand (slicing also fine)
- Prep of capers
- 5g, added at the same time as the anchovy and semi-dried tomato
- Type and amount of tomato
- 90g homemade tomato sauce plus semi-dried tomatoes (no fresh canned-tomato cooking on the day)
- Finish
- Italian parsley and a finishing drizzle of oil, dried oregano optional
- Time required
- Not specified (roughly 10 minutes by step count)
- Source
- Source verified
Pasta Grammar A lighter style built on raw grape tomatoes and black pepper
- Pasta, amount, and cooking
- 160g spaghetti/linguine/penne (serves 2)
- Handling of garlic
- Crushed with skin on, just to scent the oil, then removed
- Use of chili
- None — pepperiness comes from black pepper instead
- Timing of adding anchovies
- 3 fillets, sautéed for 1 minute and melted in
- Type and prep of olives
- 10 Kalamata olives, sliced and added
- Prep of capers
- 1 tbsp, chopped and added
- Type and amount of tomato
- 35 grape tomatoes, halved and used (no canned tomato)
- Finish
- Just black pepper and chopped parsley; no cheese
- Time required
- 10 minutes simmering + 2 minutes finishing
- Source
- Source verified
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1 
Pasta & boiling Brand, thickness, salt, water volume, cooking time
Pasta & boiling Brand, thickness, salt, water volume, cooking time 2 Base Fat and the main ingredient: rendering, infusing
3 
Sauce & emulsion Where you toss, heat level, how much pasta water
Sauce & emulsion Where you toss, heat level, how much pasta water 4 
Finish Cheese, pepper, finishing oil, plating
Finish Cheese, pepper, finishing oil, plating The map of schools: where the heat is managed
For Spaghetti alla puttanesca, the fork in the road is how you emulsify and heat
Toss over direct heat
The pan stays on the flame and your hands manage the temperature. Fast, but it takes feel.
Indirect heat
Bain-marie, steam, double boiler or a hand blender. Repeatable, at the cost of one extra step.
- No styles here
Off the heat
Emulsify after killing the flame, or in a bowl with only the pasta’s residual heat. Hard to get wrong.
- No styles here
What to serve after this
In an Italian meal the primo (pasta) is followed by a secondo (main course)
Pesce all'acqua pazza
Pesce all'acqua pazza
A whole white fish briefly simmered with garlic, cherry tomatoes, and water — a fisherman's dish from the coast of southern Italy. It's said to have started aboard boats with no refrigeration, where fishermen poached the day's catch in seawater instead of salt. Recreated on land by mixing seawater and fresh water, the result tends to come out too salty, which is why the name is explained through the Neapolitan phrase for too much salt, "te fa ascì pazz" ("it drives you crazy") — giving the dish its name, "crazy water". It spread to restaurants across the country in the 1950s-60s after the actor Totò became known for ordering it.
Pairs with: Spaghetti alla puttanesca / Pasta al Limone / Spaghetti allo scoglio
It comes from the same Naples-to-Tyrrhenian-coast tradition, sharing the same lineage of garlic, olive oil, and tomato. The shared home ground makes this an easy match.
Caponata siciliana
Caponata siciliana
A Sicilian dish of fried eggplant simmered in a sweet-and-sour agrodolce sauce with celery, onion, olives and capers. Today it is served as a contorno or antipasto, and it is registered as a traditional agri-food product (P.A.T.) of the Sicily region.
Pairs with: Pasta alla Norma / Pasta con le Sarde / Pesto alla trapanese
A pairing that shares the ingredients olives and capers. Following a warm tomato primo with a room-temperature, sweet-and-sour vegetable dish lets the same ingredients reset the palate through a shift in temperature and acidity.
Polpette al sugo
Polpette al sugo
A Neapolitan home-style dish of meatballs made from mixed ground beef and pork, hiding pine nuts and raisins inside, dusted with flour, fried, and then simmered in tomato sauce. Tucking pine nuts and raisins into the center is the distinctive Neapolitan touch, and the sauce the meat is simmered in is also used to dress pasta.
Pairs with: Ragù napoletano / La Genovese napoletana / Spaghetti alla puttanesca
A tomato sauce from the same Campania region. It finishes light thanks to the saltiness of olives and capers, so as the primo it doesn't reverse the weight against the fried, simmered meat that follows as the secondo.
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