Scialatielli — Cups to Grams

Measuring Scialatielli: Fresh, Dried, and Cooked

Scialatielli is a thick, short pasta — roughly 10–12 cm long and 5mm wide, with a flat-rectangular cross-section. Its thickness compared to tagliatelle or fettuccine means the pieces pack with more air gaps when measured by volume, though the egg-enriched dough is dense. Volume measurements for pasta are always approximate — weight measurements are far more reliable.

Fresh (125g/cup): Freshly made scialatielli nests somewhat randomly in a measuring cup because of the short, thick, slightly irregular strips. The loosely packed measurement gives 125g. A 400g flour batch produces approximately 520g fresh pasta — about 4.2 cups loosely measured.

Dried (95g/cup): Commercial dried scialatielli has low moisture content and the thick pieces leave more interstitial space than thin pasta. 95g per cup is typical. A standard 500g box = approximately 5.3 cups dry.

Cooked (175g/cup): Cooked and drained scialatielli absorbs approximately 40–50% of its dry weight in water. 100g dry becomes approximately 140–150g cooked; 1 cup (95g) dry becomes approximately 1.75 cups (175g per cup) cooked.

Origin: Amalfi's Modern Classic

Scialatielli occupies a rare position in Italian culinary tradition: an invented recipe with a known creator and a known date, yet adopted so thoroughly into regional identity that it now carries the same cultural weight as centuries-old preparations. Chef Enrico Cosentino created the pasta in 1978 for the national competition of the Federazione Italiana Cuochi, held in Salerno. The pasta won the competition's special recognition and was immediately adopted by restaurants along the Amalfi Coast and in Naples.

By the 1990s, scialatielli had displaced many other pasta shapes as the signature first course of the Amalfi and Positano restaurant trade. Today it appears in cookbooks, Italian Trade Agency documentation of traditional pasta shapes, and on virtually every menu from Sorrento to Salerno. The Slow Food Foundation has noted scialatielli among the traditional products of Campania's coastal cuisine.

The Classic Seafood Sauce: Frutti di Mare

Scialatielli ai frutti di mare is the dish most associated with the pasta — a celebration of Tyrrhenian Sea shellfish built on olive oil, garlic, white wine, cherry tomatoes, and lemon zest. The thick, rough pasta holds up to chunky seafood pieces without becoming waterlogged.

Full recipe for 4 (first course): 320g dry scialatielli (approximately 3.4 cups dry). Sauce: 400g Manila clams or vongole veraci, scrubbed; 300g mussels, cleaned; 200g medium shrimp, peeled; 200g small squid, cleaned and sliced into rings; 4 large garlic cloves, sliced thin; 80ml dry white wine (Greco di Tufo or Fiano di Avellino); 250g cherry tomatoes, halved; zest of 1 large lemon; 30g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 10 fresh basil leaves; 80ml extra-virgin olive oil; sea salt and black pepper.

Method: Boil pasta in salted water (10g salt per liter). Meanwhile, cook garlic in olive oil 1 minute, add clams and mussels, splash with wine, cover and steam 3–4 minutes until shells open. Remove shellfish, keep warm. Add shrimp and squid to the pan, cook 2 minutes. Return shellfish (shell-on or removed as preferred). Add cherry tomatoes, cook 2 minutes. Finish cooked pasta in the sauce pan with 4 tablespoons pasta water. Toss 1 minute over high heat. Remove from heat, add lemon zest, parsley, and basil. Serve immediately.

Making Scialatielli at Home: Dough and Technique

The scialatielli dough is distinctive for including milk and sometimes basil directly in the pasta dough — unusual for Italian pasta, which typically uses only flour, eggs, and water. The milk adds tenderness and a slight richness; the basil tints the dough pale green and perfumes it with a barely perceptible herbal note.

Home recipe for 4 servings: 400g 00 flour + 2 large eggs + 2 tablespoons whole milk + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt + 20g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (optional) + 4 fresh basil leaves, finely minced. Mix flour and salt in a mound, make a well, add eggs, milk, oil, and basil. Mix from center outward, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. The dough should be firm but not sticky. Rest wrapped at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll to 3–4mm thickness (pasta machine setting 4 of 9, or slightly thicker than tagliatelle). Cut into strips 5mm wide and 10–12 cm long — scissors or a knife both work. Dust with semolina to prevent sticking.