Sea Urchin Tagliatelle with Bottarga and Lemon

⏱ 25 min · Serves 2

A silky, luxurious plate of Sicilian excess: fresh sea urchin roe melted into a warm butter emulsion, tossed through egg tagliatelle and finished with a snowfall of salty grated bottarga. Ten minutes of cooking, a lifetime of showing off.

Per serving: 735 kcal · 26.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 38.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g fresh egg tagliatelle
• 60g fresh sea urchin roe (uni), about 12–16 tongues, plus 4 extra to finish
• 50g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed
• 1 small mild red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
• Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus 1 tsp juice
• 20g bottarga di muggine (grey mullet roe), for grating
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Flaky sea salt and white pepper
• Salt, for the pasta water

Method

1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Set aside a small bowl of the finest sea urchin tongues (4) for garnish, keeping them cold.
2. Put the remaining 60g sea urchin roe in a small bowl and mash to a smooth paste with a fork, or pass through a fine sieve for a truly silky sauce.
3. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat with the crushed garlic and chilli for 2 minutes, until fragrant but not coloured. Discard the garlic.
4. Cook the tagliatelle in the boiling water for 2–3 minutes, until just al dente. Reserve a mugful of pasta water.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 30 seconds — too much heat will scramble the urchin. Add 4 tbsp pasta water and whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time to make a glossy emulsion.
6. Whisk in the sea urchin paste, the lemon juice and half the zest. The sauce should be pale coral and creamy; keep it off direct heat.
7. Drain the tagliatelle and add straight to the pan, tossing vigorously over the barest heat for 30–45 seconds, loosening with pasta water until the sauce coats every strand.
8. Season with flaky salt and white pepper, fold through the parsley, and twirl into warm shallow bowls.
9. Top each with the reserved urchin tongues, a generous grating of bottarga, the rest of the lemon zest and a thread of olive oil. Serve at once.