Martha’s Bucatini With Breadcrumbs and Bottarga

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This unusual pasta dish is one of Martha's favorites.

Servings:
4

This bottarga pasta is a dish Martha tasted on her first visit to the Italian island of Sardinia. It showcases the pressed, salted, and air-dried roe of gray mullet or tuna, which has a unique pungent flavor. Adding it to a garlic-breadcrumbs-caper-golden-raisin sauce along with Parmesan, pine nuts, and parsley creates a quick pasta quite unlike any other. Long tubular bucatini is Martha’s choice for this unusual recipe. She says it's a dish you can't stop eating—and one you will remember forever.

bucatini with bottarga and breadcrumbs

Do not cook the bottarga; follow the recipe and add it to the dish when it is off the heat. Cooking bottarga would damage its unique flavor and texture.

Directions

  1. Prep and sauté 5 cloves garlic:

    Finely chop 5 garlic cloves. In medium skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  2. Add breadcrumbs and cook:

    Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; set aside.

  3. Boil water; cook pasta:

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt boiling water and add pasta. Cook until still very firm, 5 to 6 minutes.

  4. Cook remaining garlic, capers, raisins:

    Meanwhile, in a large high-sided skillet, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Crush remaining 4 garlic cloves and add to skillet along with capers and raisins; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

  5. Add lemon, stock, butter, and Aleppo pepper:

    Add preserved lemon, chicken stock, lemon juice, butter, Aleppo pepper, and a pinch of salt.

  6. Simmer sauce and add pasta:

    Bring to a simmer and add pasta. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 3 minutes; remove from heat.

  7. Add remaining ingredients:

    Stir in pine nuts, parsley, grated Parmesan, and bottarga.

  8. Garnish and serve:

    Garnish with reserved breadcrumb mixture. Shave over parmesan and bottarga. Serve immediately.

Other Bucatini Recipes to Try:

Updated by
Victoria Spencer
Victoria Spencer, senior food editor, decorvow.com
Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.

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