main dishes sardinian

Gallurese Chiusoni with Red Shrimp and Wild Asparagus

Gallurese chiusoni made from semolina dough, finished with red shrimp, wild asparagus, and a light shrimp bisque.

Pescatarian Dairy-Free Nut-Free
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Prep 1h 15m
Cook 30 min
Total 1h 45m
Servings 5
Difficulty Advanced

Ingredients

Chiusoni dough

Bisque

Sauce

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Instructions

  1. Make the chiusoni dough. Put the semolina in a bowl, stir in the salt, then add the warm water a little at a time until you have a firm, even dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, work in the tablespoon of olive oil, cover, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

    Tip: The dough should feel compact rather than soft. If it is sticky, the shaped pieces will not hold their ridges.

  2. Shape the chiusoni. Cut off a piece of dough, roll it into ropes about 1 cm thick, then cut the ropes into small nuggets. Drag each piece against the back of a fine grater or gnocchi board to give it ridges. Leave the shaped pasta on a floured cloth while you prepare the sauce.

  3. Build the shrimp bisque. Sweat the carrot, onion, and celery in a little olive oil for a few minutes, add the shrimp heads and shells, and cook over lively heat while crushing them with a wooden spoon. Deglaze with the brandy if using, add the water, bring slowly to a boil, skim the surface, then simmer until reduced by about half. Blend briefly and pass through a fine sieve.

  4. Trim the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends. Cut the stalks on a bias, keeping the last 3 to 4 cm of the tips whole.

  5. Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan with the garlic clove. Add the asparagus and cook over medium-high heat just until it brightens. Add a splash of water or light vegetable broth, lower the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes until the stalks are tender but not collapsed.

  6. Stir a ladle of the shrimp bisque into the asparagus, add the peeled shrimp, and cook only until the shrimp turn opaque. Remove the garlic.

    Tip: Do not leave the shrimp in the pan once they are done. They go from tender to rubbery very quickly.

  7. Boil the chiusoni in well-salted water until they rise and are almost cooked through. Drain them about 2 minutes early, transfer them to the pan with the asparagus and shrimp, and finish cooking there with another splash of bisque so the pasta absorbs the sauce.

  8. Serve immediately while the sauce still sits loosely around the pasta. The ridges should hold the bisque, not drown in it.

Storage & Meal Prep

This is best eaten as soon as the pasta is finished in the pan. If you keep leftovers, refrigerate for up to 1 day and reheat gently with a splash of water or broth.

Variations

  • With regular green asparagus: If wild asparagus is unavailable, use the same weight of thin green asparagus. Trim the woody ends and cut the stalks on a bias so they cook at the same pace.
  • With ready-made chiusoni: Use dried chiusoni or small gnocchetti sardi when you do not want to shape the dough by hand. The dish loses some Gallura character, but the shrimp and asparagus sauce still works.

FAQ

What are chiusoni?

Chiusoni are a Gallurese semolina pasta shaped by hand into short ridged pieces. They sit in the same family as malloreddus, but the local shaping method and the Gallura identity matter here.

Do I need wild asparagus for this recipe?

No. Wild asparagus gives the dish a more bitter, spring-like edge, but thin cultivated asparagus is a sensible substitute and far easier to find.

Can I skip the shrimp bisque?

You can, but the sauce will be flatter. The bisque is what carries the shrimp flavor into the pasta instead of leaving it only on the surface.

Interactive Nutrition Map

5 Servings

Customize Ingredients

Fish & Seafood
Shrimp (Raw, Peeled)
300 g
Vegetables
Carrots
61 g
Onion (Yellow/White)
55 g
Celery
40 g
Asparagus
500 g
Garlic
3 g
Grains & Bread
Semolina Flour
500 g
Oils & Fats
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
14 g
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
27 g

Per Serving

762kcalCalories
38gProtein
129gCarbs
10gFat
9gFiber
Sodium
86mg4% DV
Potassium
746mg16% DV
Calcium
94mg7% DV
Iron
9.8mg54% DV
Magnesium
120mg29% DV
Vitamin C
7.6mg8% DV
Vitamin A
174µg19% DV
Vitamin K
50.5µg42% DV
Folate
261µg65% DV
Semolina Flour
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Carrots
Onion (Yellow/White)
Celery
Asparagus
Shrimp (Raw, Peeled)
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Nutrition is an estimate; actual values vary by ingredient brands and cooking methods. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Story Behind This Dish

This is a Gallura pasta dish that reads clearly as spring cooking. The chiusoni are made from semolina and water, shaped by hand, then finished with red shrimp and wild asparagus in a light bisque built from the shells. It is not a heavy seafood sauce. The point is to keep the pasta rough enough to catch the stock and let the asparagus stay sharp.

The part that matters most is the finish in the pan. If you boil the chiusoni all the way and spoon the sauce over them later, the dish falls flat. They need those last minutes with the asparagus and shrimp so the ridges pull in the bisque and the starch ties everything together.

Why this works

  • The dough stays simple. Semolina, water, salt, and a little oil are enough. Chiusoni should feel firm and slightly rough, not silky like egg pasta.
  • The bisque does the real seasoning. Shrimp shells, a small soffritto, and slow reduction give the sauce depth without butter or cream.
  • The asparagus needs restraint. Wild asparagus has a slight bitterness that disappears if it is cooked too long. Keep it green and only just tender.
  • Finishing in the pan matters. Two minutes in the shrimp bisque is what makes the pasta taste integrated rather than dressed after the fact.

If you have only cultivated asparagus, use it. The dish still makes sense. Just choose thinner stalks so the timing stays close to the original and the shrimp are not waiting around in the pan.

Part of: The Sardinian Kitchen

Related: Sardinian Pasta Recipes | Fish + Seafood Hub | Sardinian Ingredients Guide