tuna fish eggs Bottarga – Vermicelli

The tuna fish eggs (Bottarga – Vermicelli), called Bottarga,  are a very old speciality produced by the tuna-fish making. Its origins are very ancient and we can date them back to the Phoenician age. The fish eggs are obtained by the eggs of the tuna-fishes and its production follows an ancient and meticulous ritual  practised by the “men of the tuna-fish” (called tonnaroti). The tuna fish eggs are very precious, and they are eaten as an appetiser and they are grated and sprinkled on first courses whose taste is incomparable.

 Serving: 4

500 gr. vermicelli
100 gr. tuna fish eggs
3 cloves of garlic without the heart
2 lemons’ juice
80 gr. butter
1 little bunch of parsley
some basil’s leaves
the grated skin of 2 lemons

 Method

Melt the butter on a low heat in a frying-pan, add the lemons’ juice, the minced parsley, the garlic reduced to a mush, the basil and some spoons of water  and sauté some minutes.
Grate the tuna fish eggs and, after having turned off the fire, sprinkle it on the seasoning you’ve just obtained. Boil the pasta in hot water until it’s just slightly firm and pour it into the frying-pan. Stir well until creamy for some minutes on a high heat. Serve sprinkling the skin of the grated lemons on the pasta.