Bottarga: better than Parmesan cheese
In Sardinia, they don’t do Parmesan cheese; instead, they have the popular Italian ingredient bottarga. You eat bottarga grated over pasta, sliced on toasted bread or as an antipasto.
In The Bible of Italian Cuisine it says the following: ”Bottarga is the dried roe of grey mullet or tuna. Grey mullet bottarga (muggine) is more highly valued and is also more expensive. It has a beautiful, amber-like colour and a briny, fruity flavour. It is usually grated over a dish. Alternatively, it can be sliced thinly.”
Flavour enhancer
At first glance, bottarga looks like two sausages tied together. According to the Italians, it is the ultimate salty flavour enhancer for ‘spaghetti con la bottarga’ with garlic and oil. You can also enjoy bottarga as an antipasto with olive oil and lemon juice, or in thin slices on toasted bread. Bottarga du muggine (made from grey mullet) is considered the real deal, as it is considerably stronger and more flavoursome than bottarga di tonno (made from tuna). Tuna bottarga is certainly not unpleasant, but compare it to mozzarella made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk.
Expensive
Unfortunately, bottarga is already quite expensive in Italy, and in the Netherlands it is often even more expensive. If you come across bottarga, buy a whole piece, as it dries out less quickly. You can recognise good bottarga by its dark red colour, with a lighter, slightly orange centre. Never cook with bottarga; use it purely as a flavour enhancer to grate over something. Bottarga is expensive and delicate in flavour, so it would be a shame to incorporate it into a dish and then not be able to taste it.
Where can you buy it?
Unfortunately, it is not (yet) available in supermarkets. That means there is no other option than a trip to an (online) Italian delicatessen.
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