Bottarga

Bottarga is obtained from the gonads (ovaries) of two female fish, tuna or mullet, and is one of Sardinia's most prized products. The ovarian sac must be extracted whole from the fish, taking great care not to break it, after which it is washed to remove impurities. It is then salted (covered with sea salt), pressed and cured. In Sardinia, the most famous productions are those of Sant'Antioco, Cagliari, Tortolì, Marceddì di Terralba and Cabras Pond.

The two products differ in both taste and colour. Tuna bottarga has a strong and decisive flavour, a reddish colour and is obtained by salting and drying tuna eggs. By structure compared to mullet roe, which contains more blood, tuna roe requires special treatment and the curing process takes quite a long time (3/4 months). Tuna bottarga is sold in slices of various sizes, clearly the 'baffa' is much larger than that of mullet and can weigh up to 6 kg.

Mullet bottarga, on the other hand, has a more intense flavour and an amber colour. The eggs are washed, salted and dried, and a much smaller 'baffa' is obtained than that of tuna, ranging from 100 to 400 grams.

Bottarga in cooking can be used and consumed in different ways, cut into flakes to season various seafood starters or grated to season pasta, usually spaghetti, but also fregola.