Fish carbonara pasta recipe and balsamic vinegar production
Recently I visited the Acetaia del Balsamico Trentino a family run business, B & B and restaurant where they make balsamic vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar contains grape must or aged pressed grapes, which is actually the most important ingredient to obtain a quality balsamic vinegar, giving the sweetness to the product balancing the acidity of the wine vinegar.
In order to make balsamic vinegar the must is slowly cooked until the volume reduces to about half and then it is aged in 8 different wood barrels (mulberry, cherry, acacia, chestnut, ash, juniper, pear). It is decanted and refilled once a year for at least 11 years.
They also make cheese, proper fresh cheese and ricotta like in a dairy.
In the kitchens I watched the chef making bronze die pasta but what is bronze die pasta?
The pasta dough goes through the dies, and it is then forged with its shape. With this process you can make any kind of pasta short or long.
The bronze dies exert a traction that produces a rough, porous surface to the pasta which when cooked makes sauces cling to it and therefore more tasty. Think of ordinary pasta where the sauce has the tendency of being "slippery".
We made a fantastic sauce for this pasta: a fish carbonara using lake fish but you can replace this for any other smoked fish fillet you like.
Try this recipe. A delicious twist to the classic meat carbonara.
You can use ordinary dry pasta if you prefer. This recipes serves 4.
- Prep Time : 15 minutes
- Cook Time : 15 minutes
Ingredients
- spaghetti - 400 g - 4 cup of dry spaghetti or 320 g - 3 + 1/4 cup if using freshly made pasta
- smoked fish (trout, haddock or salmon will work well) - 200 g - 1 cup
- egg yolks - 4
- fish stock - 250 ml - 8 fluid oz
- finely chopped parsley - 1 tbsp
- olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For this recipe we used this beautifully made fresh pasta!
We start making our sauce by filleting the fish
Slice the fish into strips
Bring to the boil a saucepan with plenty of lightly salted water to cook our pasta.
In a pan pour a little olive oil, add the fish and cook it for a few minutes until golden.
Put the egg yolks in a bowl with some freshly ground black pepper. Add the fish stock and mix well.
Cook your spaghetti according to packet instructions (if they are fresh they usually take 2 to 4 minutes). Drain and put them in the pan with the fish and mix well over a gentle source of heat. Add the egg mixture and mix well making sure you don't "cook" the egg.
Now let's plate up.
I need to be in the kitchen with chefs more often to pick up a few tricks of the trade!
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
And of course serve with a good quality well chilled white wine!
Thank you Chef 🙂 and what a view of lake Garda!
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I always do carbonara with bacon, but it makes sense to do it wish fish too. I might try that at the weekend.
I actually prefer it with fish as it is lighter.
I have never had carbonara with fish…now I am really intrigued with that sauce.
Dear Alida,
I am falling in love with Lake Garda! Love the photos and this recipe is and looks so delicious. I love the way the chef plated it. Very artistic and looks so delightful. I can now understand what Bronz die pasta means. The bronze die to push and cut the pasta through. Who knew this? I always learn something fabulous from your posts. Yes, you are correct the pasta we use has that slippery thing where it does not always hold the sauce. With this pasta it gives it a good grip. Yummy…I have never made carbonara with fish, only meat and bacon. The fish looks so fresh. Another outstanding post and recipe. Thank you for sharing…have a good weekend…Ciao!!
Hugs Dottie 🙂
Grazie cara amica!I enjoy getting tips from chefs 🙂 Baci!
bellissimo reportage di una zona che conosco poco, ho preso nota dovessi andare da quelle parti, grazie !
What an interesting post on the production of balsamic vinegar, Alida. I recently bought a pack of taglierini all’uovo and the first dish I cooked with them was a “carbonara” with fresh salmon – it was delicious.
I bet it was! Salmon is delicious with pasta. I am pleased you liked the article. Let’s keep cooking!
This is a great recipe. I am learning to cook Italian meals and carbonara was the easiest. Now I am glad I can substitute bacon for fish especially in the lent season. Asante ,
Theresa – Nairobi
Yes carbonara is much lighter with fish and very delicious too!