GUSTI Blog

Bottarga Is Old News for Gustiamo and an All Time Favorite!

Sam Dean was right when he said, "bottarga seems to be everywhere these days," a few weeks ago on the Bon Appetit blog. He was also spot-on when he said that bottarga tastes good grated over pasta dishes that could use "a little savory marine tang."  And really, we think that most quick, DIY pasta dishes could use some fishy flavor!

We especially loved Sara Jenkins' spaghettini with tomatoes and bottarga,  which was served as a recent Porsena Special. Also, we should mention our bottarga go-to pasta: Pasta with bottarga and lemon zest.

Bottarga may be a hot topic in the foodie blogosphere these days, but for the Bottarga Guy in Palermo's Vucciria Market, bottarga is old news. It's also old news for our own bottarga producer, who prepares locally caught, sun dried tuna eggs in Erice, about 100 km west of Palermo. The Gustiamo bottarga maker has a very similar "rustic-fisherman-fabulous" style to Vuccciria's Bottarga Guy, who was very happy for us to take his photo and sample his product.

The bottarga from our guy in Erice comes already grated for your convenience and quick access. This litte jar is packed full of flavor, ready for you to unleash Sicily's "savory marine tang" in your kitchen.

Don't limit yourself to pasta! You will be pleasantly surprised by the results when you add grated bottarga to other grain dishes. We love this Farro with Bottagra & Tomato recipe by the Italian blog Cioccolato e Zenzero.

Bottarga Oro di Cabras, the Real and Only Thing

You never stop learning! And we always say that the best answer is: I don't know. This is what I replied to our friend Sara Jenkins, when she asked me whether it is true that some bottarga sold in America is made in Sardegna from mullets fished in Florida.

So, I asked the expert, our expert, Mario Manca, the president of the Fishermen Cooperative in the Cabras Ponds, which makes the mullet bottarga Gustiamo carries. Gustiamo's bottarga is called Oro di Cabras. 

Mario was clearly annoyed at the question, as if it reminded him of somethng he is certainly not happy with. Yes, he says, there are "Commercianti" in Cagliari (the capital of Sardegna island) - he spelled out all their names with some disgust - who import the mullet egg sacks from Florida. There are two problems, he says, both equally disturbing:

1. the waters in Florida may be polluted and there is no way to determine whether the fish was contaminated, until you open the finished bottarga. When that happens, the bottarga smells and tastes of petrol.

2 the second problem is that the "Commercianti" work the egg sacks using industrial methods, ie they dry the bottarga in big, fast ovens over 4-5 days (compared to the natural drying of the traditional method used by Oro di Cabras, which takes 30 days - left). By doing so, the bottarga is not fully and homogenously dried and it only looses 20% of its weight (compared to the loss of 50% of the weight with the artisanal method used by Oro di Cabras).

I then asked Mario, does this "Commercianti" bottarga cost less? No, he says, it costs almost the same. Go figure!!!

Spaghetti with Bottarga, OUR Favorite Dish! Easier to Find in America!

Pasta with Bottarga is one of my favorite dishes. I prepare it all the time, especially when we have guests.

In fact, it is very easy to make (if you do it the night before, it's even better!), it is very good for you (you only use raw ingredients), it has a wonderful story and it is DELICIOUS.

This passion is spreading. I served Pasta with Bottarga in NY to my good Roman friend Annamaria when she visited, in January. 

The other day, I was invited to a dinner party at her home in Rome. She prepared OUR Pasta with Bottarga.

We dined on her splendid terrace overlooking the Ara Pacis (BTW, the Romans LOVED bottarga. How perfect a location was it???). Now, all her friends know the story and the recipe... It's spreading fast!

Annamaria very proudly said that she was able to find Gustiamo's mullet bottarga, Oro di Cabras made by Fratelli Manca, in the best specialty shop in Roma.

Out of her way, she said, but really the best and worth the schlepp!

If you are in America, you are lucky, because you can buy Bottarga di Cabras from the comfort of your home, with a click of the mouse, here!

Oro di Cabras, the Mullet Bottarga the Romans Would Choose!

The name Bottarga comes from the Arabic "Bottarikh" which means salted fish eggs. In fact, it is a product of ancient origins. The Mullet bottarga fished in the ponds of Cabras, in Sardegna, was loved by the Phoenicians and particularly the Romans, who used it in large quantities.

Gustiamo's Mullet Bottarga comes from the same place in Sardegna, Cabras (left); it is made with the same methods: the egg roe of the mullet is cleaned, salted, pressed, dried naturally on wood planks from 15 to 30 days, depending on the weather (during the drying process, the pieces of bottarga are turned every 4-5 hours).

The whole process is done by hand and with the passion of a tradition that has been passed down for generations. Gustiamo's Mullet Bottarga is made by a Cooperative of Fishermen, the Manca Brothers, 6 brothers lead by Mario Manca, the eldest. Manca's Bottarga arrives vacuum packed and it is called "Oro di Cabras", Gold of Cabras.

I asked Mario what is the difference with the bottarga you see in the stores, the one that is covered with a thick layer of wax. Mario told me that it is a bottarga of inferior quality, it is covered with wax because it is fresh and not dried (when dried, bottarga loses at least 45% of its weight), it tastes like raw paste...

If the Romans came back, they would certainly choose the "Oro di Cabras" bottarga by Fratelli Manca, the real thing! In America, you can find Bottarga di Cabras only @ Gustiamo, Italy's Best Foods!

Gustiamo's Pasta with Bottarga

Pasta con Bottarga is a very easy dish to make and it is very good for you since the ingredients, other than the pasta, are raw. We are often asked how we make Pasta with Bottarga. We, the experts! This is Gustiamo's official recipe. The condiment: in a bowl, in order of importance: bottarga finely sliced, ev olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice, capers, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped chili pepper. If you have time, make it the night before and refrigerate. Otherwise, not a problem. Cook the pasta, add the condiment and stir well. Serve! Anybody can do it and it is REALLY delicious!

The finished dish does not photograph well, as the bottarga looks like a flat small salame. Instead, above is a photo of the fish, the mullet, where the bottarga (which is its egg roe sac) comes from.

The City Cooks Bottarga

Today, Kate is the person I love the most. She is among the first people to realize our prices are not high. What a relief! Her new newsletter, here, is about bottarga and where to buy it. She says:

A better option is Gustiamo.com, a really splendid New York (Bronx) online Italian merchant that has it for less than half of Amazon's price. 

Kate also posts a bottarga recipe in her newsletter. Cara Kate, your recipe sounds just like we do it. A suggestion: next time, try it without the tomatoes but with lemon zest and few drops of lemon juice. Outstanding!