Spaghetti alla Bottarga
A sea breeze, a multi-leveled palate of peat and iodine, a very long citrus aftertaste. That is how Trikalinos describes their grey mullet bottarga. I serve this gastronomic delicacy in a traditional manner – over a simple pasta prepared with olive oil, garlic, lemon, red chili, and parsley.
It is a special dish for connoisseurs of the sea. Lovers of caviar, sea urchin, anchovy and oysters will be enamored with spaghetti alla bottarga with its briny, complex captivating flavors and luxurious texture.
Spaghetti alla Bottarga Recipe
The roe of the grey mullet is salted, air-dried and pressed then coated with natural bee’s wax to preserve the roe. To use the preserved bottarga, let the stick come to room temperature for about an hour. Slice in half, and remove the wax. Then the bottarga can be sliced thin or grated.
- spaghetti
- high quality extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- red chili flakes
- italian parsley
- lemon
- bottarga
Cook spaghetti al dente, reserving some pasta water.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and chili flakes, cook for one to two minutes. Remove from heat. Add pasta to the pan along with lemon zest, chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and a small amount of pasta water. Toss spaghetti to coat with the olive oil mixture.
Grate bottarga on the large holes of a box grater. Additionally, slice bottarga into thin pieces then roll into a rose shape as garnish.
Arrange spaghetti in bowls. Sprinkle grated bottarga over the top. Garnish with parsley and lemon zest. Place a rose-shaped bottarga sliver on top of the spaghetti. Serve with lemon wedges.
No wonder this was selected by Ferran Adria as one of the 30 best products in the world! I purchased the bottarga from Marx Foods here.
Happy Holidays!
Last year for the holiday season we were serving the roe of a mature sturgeon, this year it’s the roe of a grey mullet.
Read about Holiday Entertaining with Oysters and Caviar here.