Viareggio Seafood Carbonara

The Viareggio-style Seafood Carbonara is a variant of the classic carbonara, where the guanciale is replaced with seafood, mainly shellfish, to give the dish a Mediterranean touch. The Viareggio version might include typical ingredients from the Viareggio area, such as shrimps or squid. Here is a possible recipe for this tasty variant:

Ingredients

• 320 g of spaghetti
• 200 g of cleaned and cut squid rings
• 100 g of peeled shrimps
• 3 egg yolks
• 40 g of grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 clove of garlic
• Chopped fresh parsley to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan lightly fry the clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add the squid and shrimps and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until they are golden. Remove the garlic.
3. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the grated Pecorino Romano, add the chopped parsley and black pepper. Mix until you obtain a smooth cream.
4. Drain the pasta al dente and set aside some of the cooking water.
5. Take the pan off the heat and add the spaghetti to the squid rings and shrimps, mixing well.
6. Pour the egg yolk and pecorino cream over the spaghetti and mix quickly, adding a little cooking water to make it creamy. The heat of the pasta will slightly cook the cream, making it velvety and light, without it curdling.
7. Serve and add an additional sprinkle of Pecorino and a grind of pepper if desired.

Curiosity

Carbonara is a typically Roman dish, whose origin is uncertain, but one of the most credited theories links its name to the coalmen (workers who produced vegetable coal) who would have invented this substantial dish. The seafood version is a creative interpretation that combines the structure of carbonara with the flavors of the sea, very popular on the Tuscan coast, particularly in Viareggio, famous for its seafood.