Best Italian Fish Product Types
Bottarga is an Italian delicacy consisting of a dense, salt-cured fish roe from tuna, mullet, or swordfish that resembles a petrified sausage, as it is first left to harden and is then coated with beeswax. It has a salty flavor with a silky texture.
Bottarga is often grated over pasta or egg dishes, although it can also be cut into smaller pieces, drizzled over with lemon juice, and served as an appetizer.
VARIATIONS OF Bottarga
THE BEST Bottarga Fish Roes
Bottarga di muggine or mullet roe is one of the most renowned Sardinian foods. To prepare this delicacy, roe pouches of Mugil Cephalus, or flathead grey mullet, are first cleaned, cured in sea salt, pressed, then dried.
The result is a delicacy with a salty flavor and a dense, silky texture. Bottarga can be shaved, sliced, chopped, or grated, and even a small amount can provide a lot of flavor to a wide range of dishes. Thinly sliced and flavored with lemon juice and olive oil, bottarga is often served as an appetizer, and when it's finely chopped, it makes a great addition to fresh vegetable salads.
Bottarga di tonno, or tuna fish roe, is a cured delicacy from the Italian region of Sardinia. Made with salted, pressed, and dried tuna fish roe, bottarga di tonno used to be considered a poor man’s food, but nowadays it is a luxurious treat, often referred to as the gold of Sardinia.
With its extraordinary, rich, salty flavor and beautiful colors ranging from deep red-amber to brilliant orange-yellow, bottarga di tonno is a great addition to a wide range of dishes, but it is also delicious enough to be enjoyed on its own, flavored with a touch of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Caviar from Brescia is one of the most popular regional products, and the entire region has become the center of caviar production in Italy. Sturgeon farming started with white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), but other species and caviars are now farmed and produced.
White sturgeon caviar (Calvisius) is round, large, smooth, and tender, while the flavor is intense and complex, dominated by fruity, briny, and nutty notes. The tradition of farming sturgeons was started in Calvisano by the Tolettini family. They used the water for steel mills and directed it into large fish tanks.
Best Italian Fish Products
AWARDS
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Great Taste Awards - 2 stars
2021
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