Pasta con la Bottarga_ is about as simple as pastas get, consisting of pasta (usually spaghetti), grated bottarga and olive oil. Yet for such a meager amount of effort, you'll be treated to a decadent pasta roaring with umami and flavours of the sea. In this version, I've added some freshly grated wasabi to balance out the richness and give it a slight kick at the end.
Once called, the poor man's caviar, bottarga carries a US price tag of about $90 a pound, clearly indicating that times have changed. Bottarga is the roe sac of mullet or tuna, that's been dried and cured in sea salt. While it's a specialty of the Sardinia region of Italy, it goes by many names in countries all along the Mediterranean. Mine came from a Spanish grocer in Manhattan and was labeled huevos de mújol or "mullet eggs"
Due to the low water content and high fat content, it has a slightly waxy texture and a very rich taste filled with flavour enhancing umami. It's not exactly fishy, but it does taste strongly of the sea. If you're wondering why there are clumps of bottarga in the photo, it's because I made the mistake of mixing the olive oil and bottarga together before adding the pasta. Sprinkling it in should avoid this problem.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta your favourite
- ½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 ounces bottarga
- 1 tablespoon wasabi fresh grated
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- pepper
- 1 flat-leaf parsley minced
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions in well salted water.
- Put the cherry tomatoes onto a piece of foil, poking each tomato with a toothpick to prevent them from exploding. Put the tomatoes and foil on the upper oven rack and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until the tomatoes have wrinkled up and the tops are lightly browned.
- Slice a few thin slices off the bottarga and grate the rest into a small container. Grate the wasabi into a separate large bowl. Add 3 Tbs of olive oil to the wasabi along with the minced parsley and roasted tomatoes.
- When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the olive oil mixture to coat. Sprinkle in the grated bottarga and toss to coat evenly. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a few slices of bottarga on top.
Vera says
Simple food is always the best one! Delicious looking dish, Marc!
Thank you very much for your kind comments you left on my blog! I appreciate it greatly!
Mel says
Yum. Fresh wasabi = must. Nuff said.
Vera says
Simple food is always the best one! Delicious looking dish, Marc!
Thank you very much for your kind comments you left on my blog! I appreciate it greatly!
Mel says
Yum. Fresh wasabi = must. Nuff said.
Carolyn Jung says
I've had bottarga now and then at restaurants. No wonder I don't see it on the menu often -- what with the price of it. It's always interesting how once lowly ingredients get elevated to luxury status over time, either because our tastes change or the product becomes more scarce.
Carolyn Jung says
I've had bottarga now and then at restaurants. No wonder I don't see it on the menu often -- what with the price of it. It's always interesting how once lowly ingredients get elevated to luxury status over time, either because our tastes change or the product becomes more scarce.
tylerbichi says
very nice!
Oksana says
I can not find fresh wasabi in Spain.... what to do?:)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Oksana, you could used the variety that comes in tubes, but it won't have the same flavor.
Oksana says
Finally I have bought fresh wasabi:) Will tell you how was it:) Happy new year to you! xxx
Oksana says
Finally i bought fresh wasabi:) going to make this recipe and others. :i Merry Christmas Marc! Thank you for everything!
Oksana
Marc Matsumoto says
Merry Christmas Oksana! Fresh wasabi doesn't keep very long so if you plan to use it over some time, I recommend grating it all at once, and then freezing it in a thin layer in a ziploc bag. Then you can break off small pieces of wasabi as you need it. Also it's important to use a specific grating technique for wasabi or you won't get the full flavor/pungency. If you haven't seen it, I give a short explanation as part of this video: https://youtu.be/WwuxRBW2B-I Hope that helps!
Oksana says
I did it!:) Amazing! Top recipe! And fresh wasabi make me crazy:)) So much flavors!
Thank you Marc!