Pasta alla Bottarga
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup fine breadcrumbs
2-4 tablespoons grated bottarga (or more, to your taste)
Coarse sea salt for pasta cooking water
1 pound spaghetti or pasta of your choice
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and cook, stirring constantly to keep them from burning, until they are golden (about 3 minutes). Remove from the heat. Stir in the bottarga.
Once the water is boiling, add salt (keep in mind that the bottarga will be salty, so add a little less than usual), and then the spaghetti or pasta of your choice. Cook, stirring frequently with a long-handled fork, until spaghetti is al dente. When the pasta is cooked, reserve about 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
Transfer the pasta to the pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Toss vigorously over medium heat until combined (about 2 minutes). If the pasta looks dry, add some of the cooking water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and toss between additions until the consistency is saucier. Garnish with the minced parsley and serve immediately.