spicy canned mackerel puttanesca.
Tinned fish gives pasta sauces like puttanesca incredible flavor. Paired with Fresno chiles and black olives, fishy mackerel becomes the perfect complement to this tomato-based pasta.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes jump to recipe.
Puttanesca is a classic pasta sauce that was invented in Naples, Italy in the mid-20th century. I know you probably just glossed over that number, but it’s worth noting that this sauce isn’t centuries old like so many other Italian sauces. Mid-20th century puts it at about 1940-50, right around World War II. That’s right — not that long ago.
I had some vague understanding of puttanesca’s history, but I’m also guilty of assuming it was some super-old sauce made before stovetops existed. According to Thrillest, puttanesca roughly translates to “lady of the night” and was named after the prostitutes of 1950’s Italy. Their article suggests the dish was named for the smell (an …interesting theory), while others insist it was a favored dish of prostitutes.
I like to imagine that the story was a little more romantic; maybe a chef fell in love with a prostitute and cooked her this dish one night —but that’s almost never how food history works.
what’s goes into a puttanesca
Even though it was made much later than most classic sauces, the blueprint is generally the same: Cheap ingredients, put together in a hearty dish as a means of survival. Perhaps it had something to do with it being World War II.
The ingredients that make puttanesca what it is are anchovies, tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic, and olive oil. None of these are necessarily expensive, though capers and olives can certainly get up there these days. In general, these are pantry items that you may already own.
This puttanesca utilizes canned mackerel instead of anchovies, which emphasizes the fishy depth of the sauce. Because mackerel is a little more fishy than anchovy, I left out the capers, opting instead to go spicier with the chiles.
Puttanesca usually has red pepper flakes for heat, but to amp it up just a little bit, I used sliced Fresno chile. You can swap for any kind of red spicy pepper, or omit it if you want it more mild.
The tomatoes used are canned, which are peeled and stored in sauce, making them a faster option for homemade sauce. You can use anything, technically, but for fresh flavor, I suggest whole peeled San Marzanos and a good-quality sauce or purée.
how to make it
This is a quick sauce to make, even if you give it time to simmer. The fish is already cooked, so all you’re doing is softening and sautéeing a bit.
So start with a deep skillet and some olive oil. Heat it up and drop in the garlic and chiles, and swirl those around until fragrant. This should be about a minute, and it should smell amazing.
Throw in the mackerel and olives and swirl those around. Give the mackerel a tan. Break them up a bit so they’re mostly bite-sized pieces.
Add the tomato sauce and tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes, standing back if you forgot your apron. Curse yourself for wearing white.
Swirl in some vinegar, dash in a pinch of salt, then bring the heat down and let it bubble slightly. If you forgot to start the pasta, toss in a little water and let it simmer low and slow.
With the pasta ready, toss the long strands into the tomato, coating as much as possible. It won’t look super saucy, but taste a noodle and you’ll be surprised by how much flavor it has.
I always reserve a little pasta water, just in case my sauce doesn’t go as far as I planned. Pasta water stretches a sauce a little more, also helping it stick to the pasta. Not mandatory, and in the pictured dish, I didn’t use any at all.
Sprinkle with parsley to serve. Don’t skip this — every ingredient plays a role here. The parsley is very refreshing in such a dense sauce.
Opt for freshness, even with pantry items. With an ingredient list so small, the better the stuff, the better the sauce.
spicy canned mackerel puttanesca ingredients
bucatini: I like bucatini for tomatoey dishes, but you can use any long strand pasta you love. Technically, you can use any pasta you love, but the dish is traditionally made with spaghetti or angel hair and is best suited for longer pastas. It isn’t very saucy, so things like penne will make it fall flat.
olive oil: You only need a generous glug, but I’d recommend using a high-quality one if you can manage it. I like California Olive Ranch, which I pick up when it goes on sale at Heinen’s and Target every couple of months. Makes it fairly reasonable in price.
garlic: As with any Italian dish, you can’t really overdo the garlic. I used a tame 3 cloves, but you could probably get away with 12 cloves if you really love garlic. And mincing, I guess.
chiles: I like Fresno for red sauces because of the spice level and flavor, but if these aren’t accessible to you, any red pepper will work. Green chiles would work, too, but personally I prefer the flavor in red chiles better (maybe it’s all in my head). I really wouldn’t recommend any of the fat, orange-hued peppers like Habanero or Scotch Bonnet, which have a sweet and acidic flavor.
mackerel: Season was kind enough to send me samples of their mackerel and sardines, and I highly recommend them for this dish. The fish is large, fresh, and flavorful, which can be hard to find in canned varieties. Better yet, they’re affordable and sold at Costco. If you can’t find the mackerel, you can always use their sardines or swap for anchovy or tuna.
black olives: I suppose you could use any kind of olive, but black really suits the dish best. I use canned Pearl brand olives, which are fairly inexpensive and easy to keep around for last-minute puttanesca. You could also opt for fresh olives, which are sold at farmer’s markets or near the charcuterie sections in bigger grocery stores.
white wine vinegar: You just need a splash, but it really does make a big difference to the dish. It helps balance and brighten all those salty, briney, fishy flavors. You could also use distilled vinegar, champagne vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
whole peeled tomatoes: Try to find San Marzano for a good, fresh flavor. Otherwise, any canned, peeled tomato with do. In a pinch, you could always use crushed or diced tomato, but these tend to taste a little more watery and less robust than whole peeled.
tomato sauce: Kind of a departure from typical puttanesca, but I like mine a little more saucy. Tomato sauce is the cheapest, but you could also use purée, crushed, or a jarred marinara.
salt: Totally optional, I just like a little pinch to bring out the tomato flavor. There is plenty of salt flavor happening in this dish, so don’t feel guilty if you don’t feel you need salt at all.
parsley: Not optional, in my opinion. I hardly ever think toppings are mandatory, but this actually does taste necessary to the dish. It’s like that final squeeze of lemon over oysters or calamari. Just feels right (and brightens up the dish a bit).
boil the pasta while the sauce cooks, or slightly before if you’re using a slower cooking noodle
open up the garlic and chiles in oil to start.
use the back of the spoon to crush the tomatoes into the sauce.
spicy canned mackerel puttanesca pairing options
This one is actually tricky, being that pasta has carbs, protein, and veggies all in one. However, there’s plenty of sides to pair this with — salads being a good place to start.
roasted baby broccoli
calamari
bright white wines, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
lighter reds, like zinfandel or cabernet
cheesy garlic bread
stewed Italian meatballs
