The Lake Carbonara to celebrate Carbonara Day 2025

04/03/2025

Every year on April 6th, the world celebrates one of the most famous Italian dishes: Carbonara!

Established in 2017 by the Unione Italiana Food and the International Pasta Organisation, Carbonara Day is an occasion for chefs, enthusiasts, and food bloggers to honor this iconic Italian dish, either by preparing it according to the traditional recipe or offering their own personal twist.

If you’re curious about the origins of pasta alla carbonara — which, interestingly enough, may have been influenced by the Americans — and the classic recipe to make it, you can refer to this article.

To celebrate Carbonara Day 2025, our Cesarina Morena from Como has created a variation of the traditional recipe where guanciale is replaced with smoked trout. Let’s discover how to prepare this delicious and unique Lake Carbonara!

Lake Carbonara (with smoked trout)

A tasty variation of the famous Roman dish that replaces guanciale with smoked trout

Preparation time1h

Servings4

Ingredients

For the pasta:
400 g of buckwheat flour
100 g of soft wheat flour
A handful of durum wheat semolina
4 whole eggs and 1 yolk
For the sauce:
200 g of smoked trout
2 whole eggs and 1 yolk
200 g of grated cheese
Cream
Butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
Salt, pepper

Method

Mix the buckwheat and soft wheat flours, then pour them into a mound on a wooden work surface. Add the eggs in the center and knead gently. If the dough is too stiff, add a little warm water and keep kneading for 10–15 minutes.
Form a ball, wrap it in cling film, and let it rest for at least half an hour.
Roll out the dough into sheets that are not too thin, lightly flour the surface, and fold the opposite edges inward by three or four centimeters. Fold again until the edges meet in the center. Using a wide, floured knife, cut the rolls of dough into slices two or three millimeters wide. Finally, sprinkle the tagliolini with semolina, form them into nests, and store them on a tray dusted with more semolina.
Fillet the trout. In a pan, heat one or two knobs of butter (or a couple of tablespoons of oil) and sear the fish.
In a bowl, combine the eggs and yolk, grated cheese, cream (to taste), salt, and pepper. Whisk until you have a sauce that isn’t too runny—it’s best when slightly grainy.
Cook the tagliolini for six or seven minutes, drain them al dente, and add them to the pan with the fish. Mix well, add the sauce, combine thoroughly, and serve.