Botarga Caviar

If you are a connoisseur of Mediterranean cuisine, you are probably already well acquainted with Bottarga caviar (also written botargo or botarga). For the uninitiated, it will be a revelation to discover in terms of rich and intense flavor. Strictly speaking, Bottarga is not caviar at all – it is, rather, mullet roe salted in brine still in its natural envelope, then pressed and sun-dried. It is an incredible product indeed that gives you an unforgettable culinary impression — at the intense salty flavor you will imagine you can hear the gulls crying and feel the faint sting of sea spray on your cheeks.

Bottarga is usually served as an appetizer with some drops of fine olive oil. Alternatively, it can be grated over pasta, risotto or salads to give the dish a distinct seafood flavor. This is a kosher caviar.

French Bottarga Caviar, Dried Mullet Roe 0.3-0.45 lb. Kosher description:

Bottarga Caviar Kosher - Dried Mullet Roe - 0.3-0.45 lb/77-115 gr, France.

Mediterranean cuisine is very famous for its simplicity and wholesomeness all over the world. Any moderately large city will boast dozens of Italian, French, and Greek restaurants, to say nothing of the hundreds of small cafes and pizzerias. But not all of them can offer you a truly unique delicacy of the Mediterranean region – the Bottarga caviar. Bottarga is most often found in choice delicacy stores. The name of this product varies from country to country: Bottarga in Italy, Avgotaraho in Greece, Poutargue in France, Haviar in Turkey, and Batarekh Egypt. It is one of the symbols of Mediterranian cuisine – a small amount can turn any simple everyday dish into a memorable meal. Once called the poor man's caviar, it now inspires the best chefs in the world to make traditional masterpieces and invent new combinations.

About Bottarga

Like many other delicacies that pass under the commonly recognized name of "caviar," Bottarga is not a true caviar by the strict meaning of the word. It is neither a valuable Sturgeon roe, nor "Malossol" (the Malossol process is famous for adding very little salt in preparation, and Bottarga can be used in place of salt); neither is it as juicy as most popular caviars and roes.

Bottarga is the salted and sun-dried roe of the Grey Mullet, though some Bottarga is made from Tuna fish roe. The process of curing the roe is a lengthy one. Before the roe is carefully extracted from the fish it is massaged to eliminate air bubbles inside. It is then washed in the natural sack (or skein), dried and afterwards covered with a thick layer of the purest sea salt. It stays under the salt for a couple of weeks, sometimes under some pressure that forms two flat lobes. The curing time determines how much salt the roe will absorb. When the curing process is over, the roe sacks are dried in the sun; this is where the magic happens – depending on the region, local preferences and general weather conditions, this unique process may take up to one month. The timing also determines the hardness of the final product. After it has been cured and dried, Bottaga is packed. The traditional method of packing it is to dip it several times into melted natural beeswax to make a thick protective natural layer that shields the Bottarga from external smells and seals in its own aroma and flavor. It also prevents the product from drying out of becoming soggy. Alternatively, the double sack of the Bottarga caviar can be vacuum packed in plastic. This packaging allows Bottarga to be stored in a refrigerator for up to a year – if you can keep from eating it that long.

Bottarga caviar is usually served as an appetizer. It is cut into thin slices or wedges, depending on the drying time, and sprinkled with virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Another very popular method is grating it over omelettes, spaghetti alla bottarga, salads, or any other dish to give it a pronounced sea flavor. This dried roe has a very special taste that blooms richly when it is eaten. The developing taste overwhelms the palate and stays for a long period of time. It is becoming a popular substitute for ordinary salt in many dishes, as it is a more wholesome product and has a more complex, satisfying taste.

Bottarga is also a kosher product, suitable for consumption by those who adhere to Jewish dietary laws.

Some history

The original Bottarga recipe is a very old one. One of the earliest mentions of this product is an Egyptian mural from the 10th century BC, which shows the long process of preparing the fish and curing and drying the roe sacks. Already this product was esteemed for its flavor, and no doubt also for its wholesome features. Bottarga contains the omega-3 fatty acids that make seafood so beneficial, small amounts of a variety of essential vitamins, and a high proportion of protein.

If you are looking for the best place to buy Bottarga, you've found it. Here at Marky's gourmet store we have fresh and delicious high-grade Bottarga for sale!

Botargo, bottarga (Italian), poutargue or boutargue (French), botarga (Spanish), batarekh (Arabic) or avgotaraho (Greek) is a delicacy of air dried and pressed mullet roe. This Mediterranean specialty is made from the salted and sun-dried roe of mullet (bottarga di muggine). You usually shave off thin slices for hors d'oeuvres or grate it over pasta, fish, or salads. This kosher caviar is a real treat.

Price as each. Kosher certificate available upon request.