The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MARINARA
M
A
R
I
N
A
R
A
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MARINARA mean?
MARINARA noun- A marinara sauce.
- Prepared with tomatoes, or in a tomato sauce.
- Of pasta: In a seafood sauce. Of pizza: With seafood topping.