Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt heavily and add in your pasta until just under al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in your garlic, and saute for 1 minute until just lightly golden and fragrant; you don’t want any color here. Add the anchovies and, using a spatula, mash them down to melt into the olive oil and garlic. Season with pepper. You most likely won’t need salt right now, as the anchovies are salty.

Add in the capers, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and juice. Give everything a big toss.

If your pasta is ready by now, use tongs to transfer the pasta, add the butter and Pecorino cheese. Adjust as needed with pasta water. If your pasta is not ready yet, just turn this on low.

Adjust as needed with salt, however, you may not need much (if any) since the anchovies, capers, and cheese are all plenty salty.

Turn off the heat, add in parsley, and toss to combine. Serve in bowls, topping with more cheese and freshly cracked pepper.