The Umami-Packed Sauce That Will Majorly Upgrade Basic Spaghetti

Twirled around a fork or slurped straight from the plate, everyone's idea of basic spaghetti will differ slightly. But regardless of whether you prefer simple marinara or oil and garlic, spaghetti might start to get a little tedious if you're used to only adding the same few ingredients every time. What if you could elevate this dish with an injection of umami flavor you hadn't considered? Oyster sauce might just be the answer you've been searching for.

It's a great way to elevate store-bought gravy and can be added to the usual suspects found in a basic spaghetti with butter, garlic, oil, and herbs. In case you have yet to try oyster sauce, it has a dark and rich flavor that touches on hints of the ocean with sweet and earthy notes. If you remain apprehensive, perhaps due to the unwarranted fear it may resemble fish sauce, you'll be pleased to learn that the only similarity the two share is a salt flavor. Otherwise, their texture and taste are entirely distinct. The deep flavor and thick, syrupy texture make oyster sauce the perfect solution to your late-night — or anytime — pasta cravings.

Adding an umami boost to tomato sauce is seemingly simple, where the additional umami usually amplifies the taste of the tomatoes. However, what if this add-on ingredient was the star of the show? The combination of oyster sauce, butter, garlic, and cheese has gained popularity over decades and is considered one of the Bay Area's most iconic culinary delights. By switching the noodles to a bowl of pasta, you can transform your simple spaghetti into a standout and memorable dish. Drawing parallels with aglio, olio e peperoncino — a minimalist spaghetti dish that's "one of the first things you can teach your children to cook" according to chef Giorgio Locatelli — this particular creation enhances the garlicky notes and extends into fishy depths with saltiness and a subtle sweetness. 

Cheese and fish may feel taboo, but these ingredients share umami as a flavor profile. In this instance, the combination of the two works extremely well. The taste is also not the only satisfying reason to add oyster sauce. The silky texture of the sauce wonderfully coats the strings of pasta, ensuring deliciousness in each mouthful. Alongside this, its dark hue adds color to those opaque amber noodles, creating a tasty bowl with an appearance that reflects its richness of flavor.

Allergies to oysters can be pretty disheartening, particularly when you come across an article like this and start pondering if any alternative options are available. Fortunately, there are oyster-free versions of this delicious sauce available for sale that combine blended soybeans and mushrooms to deliver a similar flavor profile. Anchovies are another great option if you're avoiding shellfish. They capture the tangy fishiness of oyster sauce's umami flavor in a beautiful light way. A combination of Worcestershire sauce (which features anchovies as a main ingredient) and soy sauce should do the trick.

For another vegan or vegetarian alternative, vegetarian dashi is an excellent option. Dashi is a stock usually made from dried kelp and bonito flakes, but to make it plant-based while retaining a slightly oceanic flavor, it can be constructed from kombu (kelp) and dried shiitake mushrooms. By combining vegetarian dashi with soy meat, vegetables, and plant-based cheese, you can easily add an exquisite umami boost to vegan pasta. You can find veggie dashi packets online or as a paste.

Oyster sauce and spaghetti is a captivating, time-tested pairing with a depth of flavor that can, thankfully, be approximated without the need for actual bivalve mollusks. So the next time you're looking to jazz up your basic pasta, consider this major umami upgrade.