Spaghetti bottarga and pecorino

This recipe breaks the cardinal unwritten Italian rule of pairing seafood and cheese in a pasta dish by serving spaghetti with bottarga, piled atop a dreamy Pecorino cream and for good reason! Bottarga (salted and cured fish roe) provides a rich, umami note to the pasta, while the Pecorino adds a welcome creaminess to achieve a harmonious flavour profile.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g spaghetti
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, bruised
• 50 g finely grated bottarga
• 1 lime, finely zested
• Crusty bread, to serve (optional)

For the Pecorino cream

• 2 cups (500 ml) cream
• 300 g Pecorino Sardo, grated, plus extra to serve
• Sea salt flakes

Instructions

1. To make the Pecorino cream, heat the cream in a medium saucepan, until it reduces by half. Remove from the heat, then gradually whisk in the pecorino cheese with a stick mixer, until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt.
   
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente (6 – 8 minutes). While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bruised garlic clove to the oil and allow to infuse for 1 minute, then remove the clove and discard. Add half the bottarga to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
   
3. Drain the spaghetti (reserving some pasta water), then transfer directly to the garlic oil with a good splash of pasta water and the remaining bottarga. Toss well to combine, to form a creamy sauce.
   
4. Divide the Pecorino cream between four plates, then arrange the spaghetti on top. Sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve with crusty bread, if you like!

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.