Quick Cuisine: Spaghettini with Butter, Sage and Bottarga (spaghettini con burro,salvia e bottarga)
Bottarga is salted and cured fish roe, or fish eggs. It is a delicate and crunchy and offers a bit of umami. I have had several amazing pastas in Italy featuring this ingredient, and I thought - well, how hard is this to do myself? Answer: it is super easy, but a little goes a long way! The mix of these ingredients is like electric and seductive chemistry at a good party, you just want more…the rich butter and the crunchy bottarga salt paired with frangrant sage make this simple pasta very elegant. I stretch the crunch factor with panko flakes which adds the perfect amount of texture. And really, you don’t want to just blow through a bottle of bottarga, it’s not the cheapest ingredient, and it is also very rich. Less is more.
Another option? Pair this pasta with sauteed shrimp marinated in salt, pepper and olive oil. Next level. The recipe below can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
125 grams/5 oz of spaghetti (or spaghettini) - Long pasta works better here.
50 grams/ 3.5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
2-3 fresh sage leaves
3 Tablespoons panko flakes (no panko? no problem, just use plain bread crumbs instead)
one big pinch of sea salt (I like Maldon, but any nice crunchy flake salt will work)
one teaspoon bottarga di muggine macinato (easiest way to use already grated)
Optional: 5-7 grilled shrimp
Instructions:
If using shrimp, grill them and put them aside. Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Once it starts to boil add the spaghettini and start the sauce. In a large skillet that will fit the cooked pasta, melt the butter with the sage and panko flakes together on medium heat. Slowly let the butter bubble but keep a close eye, the panko will quickly brown and the sage will crisp. As soon as this happens, turn off the heat, add the bottarga and salt and mix through. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Taste it, if you want at this point, sprinkle a bit more salt or bottarga. Garnish with the shrimp if using. Serve immediately. So good.