Sardinian Bottarga Spaghetti with Lemon and Toasted Breadcrumbs

⏱ 20 min · Serves 2

Salty, savoury grated mullet roe melts into a glossy garlic-and-oil sauce, brightened with lemon and finished with crunchy breadcrumbs. Ten minutes of work for something that tastes like a seaside trattoria in Cagliari.

Per serving: 735 kcal · 24.0g protein · 83.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g spaghetti
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp for the crumbs
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small dried red chilli, crumbled (optional)
• 40g bottarga di muggine (grey mullet roe), plus extra to finish
• 30g coarse dry breadcrumbs
• Zest and juice of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt for the pasta water
• Black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it lightly — bottarga is very salty, so use about half the salt you normally would.
2. Toast the breadcrumbs in a small dry pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Tip onto a plate.
3. Finely grate about 30g of the bottarga on a microplane; keep the remaining 10g in a piece for shaving at the end.
4. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than the packet says. Reserve a mugful of cooking water.
5. Meanwhile, warm the 60ml olive oil in a wide pan over low heat with the garlic and chilli. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold — do not let it brown.
6. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the grated bottarga with 4 tbsp of pasta water; it will loosen into a creamy, orange sauce. Keeping it off direct heat stops it turning grainy.
7. Add the drained spaghetti and toss vigorously over the lowest heat, splashing in more pasta water until the sauce clings and shines, about 1 minute.
8. Off the heat, stir through the lemon juice, zest and parsley. Taste and add pepper (it likely needs no salt).
9. Serve at once, showered with the toasted breadcrumbs and a final flurry of shaved bottarga.