Amalfi Coast Lemon Spaghetti (Spaghetti al Limone)

A legendary pasta dish from the Italian Amalfi Coast, this elegant plate of spaghetti lets you celebrate the mighty lemon wherever you are.

This iconic dish from the Italian Amalfi Coast puts one of their best produce items in the frame: lemons. Lemons have been growing along the Amalfi coast for centuries and were used to infuse many of their dishes including pasta. Traditional ‘spaghetti al limone’ from the Amalfi area is quite lean, using just olive oil, pasta, cheese and lemons with a smattering of fresh parsley or basil. Further up coast in Sorrento, ingredients were more plentiful, especially dairy. There you will find this dish made with butter or even cream, which buffers the acidity of lemon. Amalfi lemons are naturally mild in their acidity due to their growing conditions. The usual lemons that we have access to elsewhere in the world are a bit too sour to execute this dish without the dairy to soften their blow. The dash of double cream helps things along, though if you prefer you could just rely on the cheese, which should be pecorino but parmesan is just fine too. With dairy in the equation, this is still a very simple pasta dish to prepare that’s perfect for a weeknight. Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)

• 150g spaghetti

• 1x lemon, juice and zest (2 tablespoons of juice)

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons double cream

• 3 tablespoons pecorino cheese, grated (or use parmesan)

  

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, let’s make the lemon sauce. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of double cream and 3 tablespoons of grated pecorino cheese. Set aside.

   

   

2. Place the 150g spaghetti into boiling, salted water and cook to the packet instructions - usually 1-2 minutes before to ensure it is ‘al dente’.

   

3. Remove the cooked pasta from the water and, without draining, add it to the mixing bowl with the lemon cream. Mix and thrash the pasta vigorously, allowing it to release its starch and bind to the sauce. If the sauce looks a little thin, just continue mixing to release starch from the pasta.

   

   

4. Once coated, serve the pasta immediately with a scattering of fresh parsley or basil. A small scuff of lemon zest is also recommended. Enjoy!