The Best Fusilli Lunghi Bucati Recipes - Crab Bisque & Carbonara
- bigboyrecipe2015
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
In the kitchen, food is more than just sustenance; it’s a sensory journey. Every time I wield a knife to chop vegetables or hear the sizzle in the pan, I feel like I’m conversing with the ingredients. Today, I invite you to embark on an adventure with “spiral pasta”—Fusilli Lunghi Bucati, a masterpiece from southern Italy that’s as visually captivating as it is functional, its spiral shape designed to cling to every drop of sauce. We’ll explore two distinct flavour profiles: a rich and sweet French crab bisque and a classic, pure Italian Carbonara. Get your taste buds ready, and let’s dive into the magic of transforming ingredients with our hands!
Characteristics of Fusilli Lunghi Bucati (QQ pasta)
Fusilli Lunghi Bucati sounds like an Italian folk song, full of rhythm and charm. Breaking down its name, Fusilli refers to its enchanting spiral shape, as if each strand is twirling in a dance; Lunghi highlights its elongated form, more graceful than standard spiral pasta; and Bucati reveals its secret weapon—a tiny hollow center, giving it the qualities of tubular pasta. This design makes it an ideal vessel for sauces, whether it’s a thick bisque or a light oil-based dressing. Hailing from southern Italy’s Campania and Sicily, this pasta is crafted from semolina, a hard wheat rich in protein and gluten, yielding a chewy, al dente texture that’s both resilient and delightful. It’s like a stage, waiting for the bold crab bisque or delicate Carbonara sauce to take center stage.
Recipe One: French Crab Bisque
French crab bisque is a dish that demands patience and finesse, concentrating the ocean’s sweetness into a velvety sauce that pairs beautifully with the chewy texture of QQ pasta.
Prepare the Crab Meat: Select a fresh live crab and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to sedate it, making it easier to handle. Clean thoroughly, then place in a pot with a handful of diced onion and 100ml of white wine. Cover and steam for 7-8 minutes. Once steamed, carefully extract the meat: remove the claws, peel off the top shell, discard the heart and gills, and reserve the roe and meat. Don’t overlook the meat in the legs and claws—use a small knife or scissors to scrape it out. Chill the meat until needed.
Make the Bisque: In a hot pot, add a splash of olive oil and stir-fry the crab shells until they release a robust crab aroma. Add half a diced onion, carrot, and celery (all finely chopped), and cook until softened. Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, a pinch of thyme, and 2 bay leaves, frying to release their aromas. Pour in the reserved steaming liquid, add 500ml of fish stock (or water), bring to a boil, and skim off any foam. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 40 minutes until the liquid reduces by half.
Strain and Season: Remove the harder crab shells with tongs, then blend the soup until smooth. Pass it through a fine mesh sieve to achieve a silky texture. Reheat the bisque, add QQ pasta cooked to 80% doneness (about 8 minutes), and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir in a small knob of butter for a glossy finish and season with salt.
Plate: Serve the pasta, drizzling the bisque over it. Mix the crab meat with a pinch of chopped chives, extra virgin olive oil, zest of half a lemon, a splash of lemon juice, and black pepper. Shape into an olive-like quenelle using two spoons and place atop the pasta. Garnish with more chives and a drizzle of homemade shrimp head oil for an extra layer of seafood flavor.
Tips for Making Crab Bisque
Crafting crab bisque is a test of time and attention to detail. First, frying the crab shells is crucial—cook them until their aroma is pronounced, as this forms the foundation of the bisque’s flavor. Dice vegetables finely and uniformly to ensure they melt into the soup seamlessly. During the simmer, maintain a gentle bubble to avoid a cloudy broth. A fine mesh sieve is essential for a smooth, velvety texture. When cooking the pasta, undercook it by 1-2 minutes compared to package instructions, as it will continue to cook in the sauce, preserving its QQ texture. The shrimp head oil, while optional, elevates the dish significantly—consider making it if time allows.
Recipe Two: Carbonara
Carbonara is a cornerstone of Italian cuisine, using minimal ingredients to create profound flavour, perfectly complemented by the chewy QQ pasta.
Prepare Ingredients: Take 50g of pancetta (or bacon, 100g for two servings) and cut into thick strips. For each portion, combine 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese, whisking into a smooth egg mixture. Set aside.
Cook the Pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the QQ pasta for 9 minutes, reserving some pasta water.
Cook the Pancetta: Heat a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and slowly fry the pancetta over low heat to render its fat until golden and crisp. Add a splash of pasta water, then toss in the cooked pasta, stirring for 2-3 minutes to release starch and thicken the sauce (this is gelatinization, not emulsification).
Mix the Egg Mixture: Turn off the heat and slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan, stirring quickly to coat the pasta evenly with a creamy sauce. Avoid cooking over heat to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Plate: Serve the pasta, drizzling any remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with black pepper and extra Parmesan for added aroma.
Tips for Making Carbonara
The essence of Carbonara lies in its simplicity and balance, but it requires precision. Rendering the pancetta’s fat slowly over low heat is key to a rich sauce. The egg mixture must be stirred quickly and evenly, with the pan’s residual heat as your ally—too much heat will turn the eggs into a scramble. Reserved pasta water, rich in starch, helps the sauce cling to the pasta, so don’t skip this step. Black pepper and Parmesan are more than seasonings; they’re the soul of the dish, so use them judiciously to enhance the flavor. Importantly, avoid cream or milk, as they dilute the dish’s authentic character.
These two spiral pasta dishes—one a luxurious, richly flavored French crab bisque, the other a rustic, timeless Italian Carbonara—find perfect harmony in the chewy texture of QQ pasta. The bisque is like a lingering symphony, layering the ocean’s sweetness note by note; the Carbonara is a concise poem, simple yet soul-stirring. Try your hand at these recipes and let your kitchen become a stage for a culinary feast. What story will you tell with this spiral pasta next?
Watch the video below now! Scroll down for detailed written recipes and steps.
Ingredients
Crab Bisque Style (serve 2)
Blue Crab | 1 each(400g) |
|---|---|
Onion (brunoise) | 100g |
Carrot(brunoise) | 100g |
Celery(brunoise) | 100g |
Thyme | few sprigs |
Bay Leaves | 2 pcs |
White Wine | 100ml |
Tomato Paste | 1 tbsp |
Fish Stock/ Water | 700ml |
Others: | |
Fusilli Lunghi Bucati | 200g |
Crab Meat | from above |
Butter | 20g |
Lemon | ½ each |
E.V. Olive Oil | 2 tbsp |
Salt | to taste |
Chive | to taste |
Carbonara (serve 2)
Fusilli Lunghi Bucati | 200g |
|---|---|
Pancetta | 100g |
Whole Egg | 2 each |
Egg Yolk | 2 each |
Parmesan Cheese | 60g |
Salt | to taste |
Ground Black Pepper | to taste |
Steps
Crab Bisque Style:
1.
Clean the crab thoroughly.
2.
Place the crab in a pot, add a small amount of onion and white wine, cover, and steam for 7-8 minutes until the crab is cooked.
3.
Remove the crab (reserve the liquid in the pot), then extract the meat, pat it dry, and set aside. Roughly chop the crab shells into smaller pieces.
4.
Heat a soup pot, add an appropriate amount of olive oil, and sauté the crab shells until all moisture evaporates and a strong crab aroma develops. Add onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until the vegetables soften.
5.
Stir in thyme, bay leaves, and tomato paste, mixing well. Pour in the reserved crab steaming liquid to deglaze the pot.
6.
Add fish stock or water, just enough to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, maintaining a gentle simmer for 40 minutes.
7.
Once the liquid has reduced by half, lightly blend the ingredients with a hand blender, then strain the crab bisque into a small pot and set aside.
Assembly:
8.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook the Fusilli Lunghi Bucati for 4 minutes less than the package instructions.
9.
Meanwhile, mix the crab meat with olive oil, lemon zest, a suitable amount of lemon juice, salt, and chopped chives, then set aside.
10.
Once the pasta is cooked, transfer it to a skillet, add the crab bisque, and continue cooking until the sauce thickens. Stir in butter and salt, mix well, and plate.
11.
Place the curly pasta on the plate, top with the crab meat, and garnish with chopped chives before serving.
Carbonara Style:
1.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and add grated Parmesan cheese, mixing well and setting aside.
2.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook curly pasta (e.g., Fusilli) for 3 minutes less than the package instructions.
3.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, add pancetta and cook slowly until it releases its fat. Once most of the fat is rendered, add the cooked curly pasta and a small amount of pasta cooking water. Cook until the liquid reduces, then turn off the heat.
4.
Pour in the egg and cheese mixture from step 1, stirring constantly, allowing the residual heat of the skillet to thicken the egg mixture.
5.
Plate and sprinkle with an appropriate amount of black pepper to serve.
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