main dishes sardinian

Culurgiones di Mare Recipe with Tuna and Bottarga

Name: Culurgiones di Mare Recipe with Tuna and Bottarga
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: sardinian
Ingredients: 300 g Type 00 flour; 300 g Semola rimacinata; 200 ml Water (Adjust based on flour absorption); 3 yolks Egg yolks; 1 tsp Salt; 1000 g Potatoes (Old or floury potatoes, peeled); 200 g Fresh tuna fillet (Cut into small cubes); 3 tbsp Fresh chives (Finely chopped); 1 pinch Salt; 3 cloves Garlic; 400 g Cherry tomatoes (Halved); 150 ml Dry white wine; 40 g Bottarga (Grated, generous amount); 1 pinch Salt

Seafood culurgiones with potato and tuna filling, wheat-ear closure, cherry tomato, and bottarga.

Pescatarian Nut-Free

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Prep 2h

Cook 15 min

Total 2h 15m

Servings 6

Difficulty Advanced

Ingredients

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Instructions

Make the dough by mixing the type 00 flour, semola, water, egg yolks, and salt until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Boil the potatoes whole, peel them while still warm, and mash them finely. Season with a pinch of salt and let them cool slightly.
Cut the tuna into small cubes. Sauté briefly in a pan with the chopped chives and a splash of white wine until the tuna is just opaque. Let the mixture cool, then combine with the mashed potatoes.
Roll the rested dough into thin sheets and cut 7 to 8 cm rounds. Place a compact cylinder of filling in the centre of each round.
Seal each culurgione with the traditional spiga closure, pinching from side to side like a braid. Work carefully to avoid trapped air.

Tip: If the dough feels sticky, dust it with semola rather than extra flour.
For the sauce, gently fry the garlic in olive oil until it starts to colour. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated bottarga.
Cook the culurgiones in gently boiling salted water. Do not overcrowd the pot. They are ready when they float to the surface, which takes only a few minutes.
Transfer the culurgiones carefully to the sauce, toss gently, and serve with an extra grating of bottarga.

Storage & Meal Prep

Freeze uncooked culurgiones on a tray, then bag them once firm. Cook from frozen, adding a minute or two to the boiling time.

Variations

With swordfish instead of tuna: Swordfish works well in place of tuna. Cut it into small cubes and sauté briefly with the chives and white wine before mixing with the potatoes.
Traditional potato and mint filling: For the classic Ogliastrini version, replace the tuna and chives with fresh mint, garlic-perfumed olive oil, and Sardinian cheese. See the traditional culurgiones recipe.

FAQ

Are culurgiones di mare a traditional Sardinian dish?

This is a modern Sardinian variation. The traditional culurgiones from Ogliastra use potato, mint, and cheese. This seafood version keeps the pasta shape and closure, then uses tuna, chives, cherry tomatoes, and bottarga.

Can I use canned tuna instead of fresh?

Fresh tuna gives a better texture and milder flavor, but good-quality canned tuna in olive oil works in a pinch. Drain it well and break it into small pieces.

What is bottarga?

Bottarga is cured fish roe, usually from mullet or tuna. It has a concentrated, briny flavor and is grated or sliced over finished dishes. In Sardinia it is a staple of coastal cooking.

Do I need the wheat-ear closure?

The spiga closure is part of what makes culurgiones recognisable. It also helps seal the filling. You can crimp them like ravioli if you are short on time, but the braided closure is worth learning.

The Story Behind This Dish

In coastal Sardinian cooking, seafood often enters familiar shapes instead of needing a new recipe. I treat culurgiones di mare that way: the Ogliastra form stays, but the filling leans on potato, fresh tuna, chives, cherry tomatoes, and bottarga.

I make the dough a little richer than the classic version because the seafood filling is softer. I boil the potatoes whole, mash them fine, and let the tuna cool before mixing it in. If the filling is warm or wet, the culurgiones are harder to seal.

I keep the sauce brief. Garlic, cherry tomatoes, and bottarga only need enough heat to come together. I cook the culurgiones in gently boiling salted water, lift them carefully into the sauce, and finish with more bottarga at the table.

Part of: The Sardinian Kitchen