Sardinian Pasta with Bottarga

Bottarga is the roe pouch of mullet (sometimes tuna) that is dried and cured in sea salt.

It's an extreme delicacy in the Mediterranean and also in Japan where it goes by the name of karasumi.

Since it's dried, it's generally served either grated or shaved into thin slices.

It makes for a wonderful dish with tomatoes that are bursting in flavor. The potent combination of umami from the bottarga, tomatoes and cheese make for an unforgettable combination.



Ingredients

1/2 lb dried pasta

2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 dried red chilly pepper
3/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

1/2 lobe bottarga (grated fine)
1/2 cup Pecorino Sardo (grated - substitute by parmigiano-reggiano)

1/2 cup chopped chives
olive oil

Recipe

Note: The bottarga and the cheese contain plenty of salt. Please do not add any more or you risk the dish becoming overly salty. You can always taste and add in a little towards the end but the CC seriously doubts that you will need to.

Sautée the garlic, chilly peppers in some olive oil. Add the tomatoes and a little black pepper, and let cook until the tomatoes are softened.

Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente.

While the pasta and sauce are cooking, grate the bottarga fine using either a box grater or a microplane in a mixing bowl.

Toss the pasta, sauce, bottarga, chives and cheese together, and serve.