This recipe is more than the sum of its simple parts, because the highest-quality ingredients are required. The star is bottarga, pressed fish roe, grated over spaghetti tossed with golden breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley.
Ingredients for 4 people
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup fine breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated bottarga
- Coarse sea salt for pasta cooking water
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
How to make Spaghetti con la Bottarga
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and cook, stirring constantly to keep them from burning, until they are golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the bottarga.
- Meanwhile, once the water is boiling, add salt (keep in mind that the bottarga will be salty, so add a little less than usual) and then add the spaghetti. Cook, stirring frequently with a long-handled fork, until the spaghetti is al dente.
- When the pasta is cooked, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Toss vigorously over medium heat until combined, about 2 minutes. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the cooking water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and toss between additions until the consistency is saucier. Garnish with the minced parsley and serve immediately.
Tips
Working with bottarga
- Always buy bottarga in a whole piece and grate it yourself for best results.
- Use either tuna or mullet bottarga. Mullet bottarga is milder and hails from Sardegna and the coast of Toscana. Tuna bottarga is more assertive and darker in color, and is native to Sicilia and parts of Calabria.
- Bottarga keeps for about one year in the refrigerator after its vacuum packaging is opened or its beeswax coating is removed.
- Remove the outer membrane before grating: peel back the membrane from the size of chunk you think you will need and leave the rest covered.
