Tuna Carbonara a contemporary Italian recipe.
This pasta with tuna carbonara was my first attempt at making a seafood carbonara. It’s now a family favourite. Happily my hubby loves it too. In UK, tuna melt (tuna and cheese sandwich) is popular but in Italy, cheese and fish have long been considered incompatible. Until now that is!
Whilst on holiday some time ago, I ate a seafood carbonara dish for the first time in a restaurant in Emilia-Romagna. The carbonara was made with calamari and bottarga. You can see that recipe on my post about the restaurant Dei Cantoni. I loved this dish! So, as a result started researching seafood carbonara recipes. It appears there are many.
I’ve lived in Italy for a number of years and had never come across seafood carbonara before having it in that restaurant. However, given the number of recipes on Italian recipe and food blog sites, I guess it’s been a trend for a while.
Seafood carbonara is a contemporary recipe.
It is well-known that many traditional Italian pasta recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and a lot of Italians still cook and eat what their grandmothers cooked for them. However, like all cuisines, Italian food is also obviously evolving and changing.
Traditionalists may find the inclusion of previously non-typical ingredients difficult to accept. But, given the fact that tomatoes only started to be used in Italian cuisine in the late 19th century, how long does it take for something to be classified as traditional?
Italians are also quite famous for being rather inflexible when it comes to the ingredients they typically use together in a recipe. For example, cheese and seafood have long been a big no no on Italian tables.
However, the basics of seafood carbonara are much the same as traditional carbonara. The sauce is made by using raw beaten eggs and grated cheese. Yes cheese! Some of these recipes also include pork cheek, along with the seafood. Others just contain fishy ingredients!
Carbonara di mare.
Italians call carbonara made with fish or seafood ‘carbonara di mare’. This recipe for pasta with tuna carbonara is the simplest one I came across. I loved the fact that even though it is so quick and easy to make, it tastes amazing. I’m dying to try some more complex carbonara di mare recipes, but this one was a good start!
Obviously, like many simple recipes, the quality of ingredients for this pasta with tuna carbonara make a difference. If possible, it’s better to use tuna fillet rather than normal canned tuna. Freshly grated parmigiano is preferable to the packet stuff and the olive oil should really be extra virgin.
The pasta for tuna carbonara.
You can use just about any pasta for this tuna carbonara. I used chitarrini (spaghetti alla chitarra) which I had brought back with me from Abruzzo because the recipe, I based this one on, came from an Abruzzo recipe site.
Whichever pasta you use, I’m sure you’ll love this dish, not only for the taste but also because it’s a great go-to recipe which can be made with ingredients many of us usually have in the larder.
If you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon appetito!
Other pasta with canned tuna recipes.
- Garganelli with tuna Bolognese, recipe from Emilia-Romagna
- Elbow pasta with cannellini beans and tuna
- Conchiglioni pasta shells with tuna and ricotta
- Fusilli with black olive pesto and tuna
- Spaghetti with tuna, capers and mint, recipe from the Aeolian Islands
Other carbonara recipes.
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Pasta with Tuna Carbonara
Ingredients
- 400 g chitarrini or spaghetti (14oz) or any pasta of your choice
- 200 g canned tuna fillet (7oz) or normal canned tuna
- 60 g Parmigiano cheese (2oz) grated
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 eggs
- salt for pasta water and to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley chopped (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, beat the eggs with the Parmigiano cheese and a little ground pepper in a bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the peeled garlic cloves until they brown. Add the tuna fillet broken into small pieces and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the garlic cloves.
- When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta to the tuna, mix well and add some pasta cooking water. Cook for a couple of minutes then remove from the heat and add the egg mixture. Stir until the sauce becomes creamy.
- If the sauce is too dry, add a little more pasta cooking water and mix until you get a creamy consistency.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated pepper, chopped parsley (optional), and more grated Parmigiano.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but has been updated with new photos and text.
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?
I love this recipe. It is an easy yet flavorful and hearty dish.
Excited to try this, and to have found your website! Any particular reason you’re using Parmesan instead of pecorino? I’ve seen carbonara recipes using pecorino or a mix of pecorino and Parmesan (or grana padano), but not just Parmesan. Using it here because it may be easier to find? Or because of the seafood? Thanks!
Thanks for your comment Gil. I’m sure you’ll love this tuna carbonara! I used parmigiano because it’s creamier and milder than pecorino. Plus, that’s what was used in the Italian recipe I followed. Grana wouldd work too. Personally, I think pecorino is better with meat or vegetables than fish.
Ahh. Good reasons! Thanks for the clarification!
This was so delicious! I hadn’t ever had carbonara with tuna so I was so excited to try it! It was the perfect Sunday dinner and everyone got seconds!
This was my first carbonara di mare ever. I can’t wait to make it again and again. Thank you so much for the recipe.
So luscious and creamy. Such an amazing recipe! Absolutely perfect any night of the week.
I love spaghetti a la carbonara but have never tried them with tuna, such a great combination! My family loves pasta, so I will definitely be trying this. Thank you!
Love this twist on carbonara! I always keep tuna in the pantry, so this clever add-on is the perfect way to make an Italian classic heartier. This was a hit with my family, the dish will be on repeat in my kitchen from now on!
What a delicious combination! We loved all the flavors and chunks of tuna in this pasta and it was so easy to make. Thank you so much!
This pasta looks so creamy and cheesy. We love tuna so I really have to give this recipe a try, plus it looks so easy to make.
I am an avid Pasta fan yet have never heard of Pasta with Tuna Carbonara combination. I am too tempted to try this at home and taste this.
This carbonara with tuna sounds and looks so good. I enjoy tuna, but my husband, not so much. I may have to just make this one evening for myself to enjoy during the week! Thanks for sharing.
I had to make this because it reminded me of the tuna noodle casserole that we ate as kids. Only this was much, much better. I will be making this again!
This is my kind of pasta!! Making this ASAP, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
What a wonderful recipe! Looks delicious. Never even thought of tuna carbonara. You always have the best pasta recipes. Thank you for your post, I will definitely make this.
I love tuna and carbonara, so I couldn’t wait to pair these together. It was total comfort food and super delicious. It’s a must for tuna lovers!
this was so delicious – i was a little wary of the raw eggs but they made all the difference. i’d love to add some veggies – any recommendations?
Hi Heather, I’m happy you liked this tuna carbonara. I guess there are many veggies you could add. Personally, I’d go with peas, zucchini or red capsicums. However, I think you’d need to cook the veg separately before as the carbonara doesn’t take much time to make!
Oh yum! I have tried carbonara with salmon, but not tuna yet. It looks absolutely fantastic!
Thanks. Delicious recipe, unique and delicious combination. Sounds easy and yummy too.
You have inspired my dinner tonight! I just so happen to have all the ingredients on hand! So excited.
This was such a unique and unexpected twist to a classic dish! Served this for dinner and it did not disappoint; the whole family loved it! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
Fantastic pasta dishes
Thank you so much Sandra! I’m thrilled that you like the recipes on The Pasta Project and hope you will visit again soon! All the best from Verona!