Martha Stewart Bottarga Pasta

Martha Stewart bottarga pasta takes about 30 minutes and bucatini, roasted garlic and grated bottarga to make a savory, crunchy-topped Italian pasta dish. Try this easy weeknight dinner for date night or a cozy Sunday dinner, since it's quick, elegant and uses just a few pantry ingredients.

Cook the breadcrumbs in butter and olive oil until they turn deep golden, because that crunch is what the whole bowl depends on. Pale breadcrumbs taste flat and turn soft the moment they touch the hot pasta.

Martha mixes roasted garlic squeezed from its skins with thinly sliced raw garlic, so you get both a sweet, mellow base and a sharper bite. She also finishes the plate with more bottarga grated over the top, which gives the pasta a salty, briny kick right before serving.

Martha Stewart Bottarga Pasta

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Course: DinnerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

520

kcal

Bucatini gets tossed in garlicky olive oil with grated bottarga and parsley, then topped with golden breadcrumbs. The crisp topping against the silky, salty strands is what makes each forkful work.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  

• 1 cup coarsely ground breadcrumbs (from a baguette ground in a food processor)
  

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 1 pound bucatini or perciatelli pasta
  

• 6 cloves Martha's Roasted Garlic
  

• 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
  

• 2 tablespoons grated bottarga, plus more ungrated for garnish (about 3 ounces total)
  

• 3 tablespoons very coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  

Directions

• Toast the breadcrumbs: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat until the butter foams. Add 1 cup breadcrumbs with salt and pepper, then cook about 5 minutes until golden brown and move them to a plate.
• Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in 1 tablespoon salt. Add 1 pound bucatini and cook until al dente.
• Cook the garlic: While the pasta cooks, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the pulp of 6 cloves roasted garlic out of their skins into the skillet, add 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and cook for 2 minutes.
• Toss everything together: Use tongs to lift the pasta straight from the boiling water into the skillet, then toss to coat. Add 2 tablespoons grated bottarga, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley and half the breadcrumbs, and toss again before moving it to a platter.
• Finish and serve: Season the pasta with salt, then sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top. Grate a generous amount of bottarga on top and serve right away.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, OXO 12-inch locking tongs, Cuisinart 14-cup food processor, Partanna Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, 1 liter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

What is bottarga and where do I find it?

Bottarga is the roe of gray mullet or tuna that has been salted, pressed and air-dried, and it's a specialty of southern Italy. Martha points to BuonItalia, and Italian specialty shops often carry it too.

Can I use regular spaghetti instead of bucatini?

Yes, spaghetti or linguine works fine if you can't find bucatini or perciatelli. Cook it to al dente and keep the tongs-to-skillet method, since the starchy water clinging to the strands helps the sauce coat them.

Can I make the breadcrumbs ahead of time?

You can toast them a few hours early and leave them on the plate at room temperature. Keep them uncovered or loosely covered, because sealing them in a container traps steam and softens the crunch.

How do I roast garlic for this recipe?

The recipe calls for Martha's Roasted Garlic, which is a separate recipe on her site. In general, roast whole heads until the cloves are soft and golden, then squeeze the pulp out of the skins into the skillet.

What's the most common mistake with this pasta?

Pulling the breadcrumbs off the heat too early is the big one, since pale crumbs taste bland and go soft fast. Cook them the full 5 minutes until they're golden brown, then keep half back to sprinkle on at the end.