Spaghetti with Bottarga, Lemon and Olive Oil

By Bottarga Turkey·Last reviewed 4 August 2026

The dish that explains bottarga in one mouthful. Nothing cooks except the pasta: the sauce is olive oil, starchy water, lemon and bottarga, emulsified off the heat so the aroma survives.

Serves

2

Preparation

5 minutes

Cooking

12 minutes

Total

17 minutes

Recommended formatGrated bottarga: Casa Bottarga UmamiHow much bottarga: About 7–8 g per person, half of it at the table.

Ingredients

• 200 g spaghetti
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed and peeled
• 15 g bottarga, finely grated, plus a little for the table
• Zest of ½ lemon and a squeeze of juice
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Black pepper

Method

1. 01Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it lightly, less than usual, because the bottarga is saline.
2. 02Cook the spaghetti until just short of al dente. Before draining, reserve a mugful of the cooking water.
3. 03While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil gently with the garlic in a wide pan for two minutes, then remove the garlic. Take the pan off the heat.
4. 04Add the drained pasta to the pan with a splash of cooking water and toss hard until the oil and water come together into a glossy sauce.
5. 05Off the heat, add two thirds of the grated bottarga, the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice. Toss again, loosening with more cooking water if it tightens.
6. 06Divide between two warm bowls, scatter with parsley, the remaining bottarga and black pepper, and serve straight away.