Tuna bottarga has been prepared for millennia. The Phoenicians were the first, followed by the Arabs, to need to preserve this precious product in salt. It is the fish’s ovary. In my family of fishermen for centuries, it was always prepared. In recent years, it has returned to vogue as a delicacy, often expensive. However, since we fish directly, we can afford this little luxury. There are numerous recipes featuring bottarga. This exquisite product can enhance a simple pasta dish, making it special. On my blog, you’ll find various preparations using tuna bottarga. Enjoy your reading.

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Cost: Medium
Rest time: 5 Days
Preparation time: 5 Days
Portions: 30
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian Regional
Seasonality: All Seasons

53.00 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 53.00 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 0.03 (g) of which sugars 0.03 (g)
Proteins 7.17 (g)
Fat 2.70 (g) of which saturated 1.12 (g)of which unsaturated 1.57 (g)
Fibers 0.00 (g)
Sodium 25,853.00 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 20 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Let’s go shopping

4.4 lbs Coarse Salt
2.2 lbs Tuna (egg)

Tuna Bottarga

Tools

What we need

1 Container plastic
1 Oven

Preparation

Tuna Bottarga.
In a container, I place about 7 oz of salt as a base, then lay the ovary on it, which is just a piece because a whole one can exceed 44 lbs.
Then I cover it entirely with salt, place a weight equal to the product’s weight on top, and put it in the fridge. Every morning for 5 days, I take it out, turn it, and change the salt.
On the fifth day, I remove it from the salt, wipe off the excess salt with a damp cloth, at which point you’ll see it has almost flattened and reduced significantly in size.
Place the bottarga on the oven rack to dry. 2.2 lbs of ovary should dry for 2 hours at a temperature of 122°F.
Now it’s ready. I store it in the fridge wrapped in a clean cloth for no more than three months. I use it grated or in slices.
You can season various dishes, including simple garlic, oil, and chili.
The appearance of the bottarga and the days of salting can change depending on the type of fish.
This one I’m showing you now is from an albacore tuna.