bottarga

One of the most unique Italian pasta dishes I’ve ever had. To truly appreciate this dish, it’s important to first understand what bottarga is. Bottarga is salted and dried fish roe, typically from mullet or tuna. Many food cultures use salted and dried fish roe. In Italy, bottarga production varies by region. It’s hard to find this ingredient in Estonia, so you might need to order it online, buy it from Italy, or have good friends who can get it for you. I got mine from Mark Liechti, and it’s a delicacy from the fish of the Orbetello Lagoon, Italy. In Italy, bottarga is sold as whole dried roe, but the one I used was already grated and ready to be used for pasta.
If any dish embodies the essence of a true Italian summer, it’s this pasta. I made it following Mark’s instructions, just like his father prepares it in Tuscany. The preparation is incredibly simple, which makes the dish very authentic.

Preparation time: a maximum of 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: two

Ingredients:
150 g of high-quality spaghetti (I used Rummo brand spaghetti),
a large handful of parsley with stems separated and leaves finely chopped,
half a red chili sliced thinly,
3-4 medium garlic cloves sliced and 2 medium garlic cloves mashed into a paste,
2 heaped tablespoons of grated bottarga,
80 ml of the highest quality olive oil you can find (I used olive oil from Crete),
0.5 tsp of grated lemon zest,
sea salt, and black pepper for seasoning.

Preparation:

1. Cut off the parsley stems and peel and slice 3-4 garlic cloves.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté the parsley stems and garlic slices for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the parsley stems and garlic slices, leaving the oil in the pan for the pasta.
4. Finely chop the parsley leaves and mash two garlic cloves into a paste using a knife against the cutting board edge (or use a garlic press). Thinly slice the chili.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with sea salt, and add the spaghetti.
6. Meanwhile, reheat the oil over medium heat, then add the chopped parsley leaves, garlic paste, and chili slices. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add half a cup of pasta cooking water to the pan and mix.
8. Don’t cook the spaghetti until too soft; transfer it to the pan about 2-3 minutes before it’s fully cooked. Add more pasta water if needed.
9. Add about 1.5 tablespoons of grated bottarga and freshly grated lemon zest.
10. Mix everything and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. Season with sea salt if needed, and add freshly ground black pepper.
11. To serve, sprinkle more grated bottarga and a little black pepper on top, and garnish with a parsley leaf.
    Ready!!