Spaghetti alla Bottarga di Muggine
Sardinia (Cabras, Carloforte)
Sardinia's golden pasta — spaghetti dressed simply with grated bottarga di muggine (mullet roe, salted and pressed to a firm, waxy amber block), olive oil, garlic, chilli, and flat-leaf parsley. Bottarga is the Sardinian gold — sun-dried, salt-compressed grey mullet roe sacks that concentrate the sea into a parmesan-like intensity. The pasta is tossed off heat with the oil and bottarga so it forms a light emulsion rather than a heavy coating. The bottarga is the only seasoning; no cheese.