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Tagliatelle with bottarga, clams, and lemon

17/11/2023

This dish combines sea flavors with a citrus touch, creating an elegant and tasty balance. Here is the recipe for tagliatelle with bottarga, clams, and lemon.

Ingredients

  • 320 g of fresh tagliatelle
  • 500 g of true clams
  • 1 lemon (grated zest and juice)
  • 80 g of mullet roe (bottarga)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Fresh parsley to taste
  • Red chili pepper to taste (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by cleaning the clams, putting them in a bowl with salted water for about an hour so that they lose their sand. Afterward, rinse them under running tap water.

  2. In a large pan, heat up the extra virgin olive oil with the peeled garlic cloves. If you like, you can also add a bit of red chili pepper to give a spicy note to the dish.

  3. Add the drained clams and cover the pan. Let cook for about 5-10 minutes or until all the clams have opened. Discard any that remained closed.

  4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the tagliatelle following the packet instructions until al dente.

  5. While the tagliatelle are cooking, remove some of the clams from their shells, leaving some whole for the final presentation.

  6. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze the juice, being careful not to include the white part of the peel, which could make the dish bitter.

  7. When the tagliatelle are ready, drain them and add them to the pan with the clams, along with a bit of the pasta cooking water to bind the sauce.

  8. Add the grated bottarga, lemon zest, and juice. Mix well to blend all the flavors.

  9. Plate the tagliatelle garnishing with a little chopped fresh parsley and, if desired, a grind of black pepper.

  10. Serve immediately, garnishing the plates with the whole clams set aside earlier and an additional touch of grated bottarga.

Curiosity

Mullet roe bottarga, typical of some Italian coastal areas, especially Sardinia, is a high-cuisine ingredient. It consists of salted and dried mullet eggs; it gives the dishes a distinct and intensifying sea flavor.

Tagliatelle with bottarga, clams, and lemon