Salted fish are the marine response to hams and cured meats, an equally exquisite food that can reach levels of true luxury and whose tradition also dates back to very ancient times. In Spain we have large salt-producing areas where the mojama is the queen, but today we claim the roe as a worthy product to steal the limelight from the aperitif.
On an international level, Italians have been able to better position their salted meats and botarga (bottarga) is highly appreciated by experts and lovers of good food who know how to see beyond the four typical products associated with their cuisine. It’s time to value our pantry with the excellent national roe which, by itself, is a delicacy, but which can also elevate a multitude of dishes with a little touch.
The roe and its types
Without going into excessive detail, the roe and the botarga are the bags of roe from different salted fish. The roe bag it is completely removed from the animal in question and is salted open, covering it with several layers of sea salt. After the necessary time, the roe is cleaned, pressed and allowed to dry in specially conditioned dryers, several weeks or months.
The result is a solid productfirm and quite hard, which allows to make the most of the fish roe and whose tradition dates back to ancient civilizations, as a conservation technique, just like the other salted fish.
In Spain, these products are made in key points along the coast that have generally inherited the tradition of the old salted fish and almadrabasfundamentally from Alicante and following the entire coast of the Region of Murcia, with Cartagena and San Pedro del Pinatar as axes, and the Andalusian to the Gulf of Cádiz.
The different varieties of roe or roe -although in the plural it can be confused with “caviar” or fresh roe- that are most produced in our country are tuna, ling and mullet, perhaps the most appreciated and common. Both of these last ones are orange or reddish in color, the ling is somewhat more flexible and chewy, very intense, while the mullet is a firmer bite, more homogeneous and more balanced.
They are, in any case, products with great power umamiwith a very concentrated flavor and aroma, which can shock first-time palates due to the deep saline and sea flavor that come off in the mouth. That is why a unit of roe goes a long way: it is served and enjoyed thin, in small portions, with moderation and pleasure.
How to serve the roe for a snack
We strongly recommend investing in a whole piece of roe and not opt for those already cut microportions or powder formats; they are much more expensive in proportion and, in the second case, flavor and versatility are lost. It is not a very cheap food, but it goes a long way.
The easiest thing is to cut the piece into thin sheets, whose thickness will ultimately depend on personal taste; the more finesse, the more delicacy on the palate. We can remove the “skin” first, which is nothing more than the membrane that covers the bag and becomes somewhat plastic with salting and drying. Sometimes the producer coats the product with oils or other fats. It can be marinated with a dressing of your choice or simple quality extra virgin olive oil.
The science of pairing tells us that botarga and roe make very good crumbs with flavors that balance their salinity and aromatic power, enhancing with freshness and a certain sweetness the marine intensity that identifies it so well.
In this way, lemon and lime, nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts, better toasted or fried, and fresh but also cured cheeses are excellent partners for these salted foods. Also cauliflower and other sulphurous vegetablesIn addition to the typical fresh herbs such as chives, parsley and its curly cousin, dill and other purely Mediterranean ones, such as thyme, rosemary and tarragon.
Pickles and olives are also a magnificent and ideal pairing for an aperitif, without forgetting the support provided by all the crusty varieties of breads and crackerslike spikes, crackers with seeds, scolds and bagels or donuts. Small bites with mayonnaise will win whole with a touch of roe, and also the chicken or quail egg get along very well with it.
Diced, finely grated or sliced very thin flakesas we would with a Parmesan cheese, it becomes a fabulous ingredient to dress other snackssuch as stuffed eggs, dips, hummus, guacamole or crudités, toasts of all kinds, carpaccios of meat, fish or vegetables, a tartar or sashimi, a cheese board, potato and egg tapas, etc.
Mullet roe 150g “Selection”
Bottarga de Muljol Su Tianu Sardu 80/90g – Handmade in Sardinia, Italy – Salted and dried mullet eggs – Mediterranean caviar – Kosher certified Sardinian artisanal production
Mediterranean Salted Pack | Extra Tuna Mojama, Mullet Roe and Premium Aired Bonito
Three recipes to serve roe as an appetizer
We propose below three more elaborate recipes to accompany the roe, be it mullet, ling, tuna or in its Italian variant of botarga, in three formats.
Non-Microwave Fried Almonds
In Murcia and other regions it is very typical to accompany the beer or the midday aperitif with a plate of salty fried almonds and some salting, among which the roe of mullet or maruco is not usually missing, in addition to the mojama. At home we can make them easily and with much less oil with this technique of microwaveand we only have to add a portion of roe cut into medium-thick slices to the plate.
Arrange the raw and peeled almonds in a microwave-safe container. Add between 2.5 and 5 ml of good extra virgin olive oil, and a very light pinch of fine salt. Stir well so that all the almonds are impregnated and put the lid on or use a microwave lid.
Heat for 2 minutes at medium power. Stir and reheat for 1 minute now at full power. Stir again and heat in intervals of 30 seconds at medium power, until they have the desired toasted point. It is preferable that they do not darken much. Serve with coarse salt and, if desired, a little extra virgin olive oil.
Full recipe | How to make fried almonds in the microwave: the easiest and fastest appetizer
Figs stuffed with goat cheese and roe or botarga
A salad easily adaptable to snacking, serving a stuffed fig -or two- per person, all a mouthful of flavor that explodes on the palate with its mix of different textures and nuances. If we like even more powerful flavors, we can crown the fig with an anchovy that will further enhance the marine air of the grated roe.
Ingredients for 4 people. Green leaves to taste, 8 fresh or early figs, 1 roll of goat cheese without rind, chives, lemon zest, garlic on pole, mullet roe, 8 anchovies, capers, toasted flaked almonds, extra virgin olive oil and pepper .
Elaboration. Wash and dry the figs, chives and lemon. Toast the almonds lightly in a frying pan without oil. Cut the tail of the figs if necessary and make a cross cut in vertical lines in such a way that they open in three quarters, but without reaching the base so as not to separate them completely. Crumble the rindless goat cheese into a bowl with a fork. Add the finely chopped chives, finely grated lemon zest, a drizzle of oil, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, mixing well. Carefully spread the stuffing over the figs, arrange on the base of the leaves and place the anchovies, capers and almonds around it. Finish by finely grating roe, more lemon and pepper. Dress with a thread of olive oil.
Full recipe | Fig salad with goat cheese, mullet roe and anchovies
Carpaccio of scallops with citrus
The carpaccios are ideal to accompany roe in chips, here it is preferable to opt yes or yes for the mullet, firmer and more compact than ling. If we dare, we can also add a touch of cured cheese or some toasted nuts.
Ingredients for 2 people. 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 15 ml of rice vinegar, 1/2 lime, 1/2 orange, 1 cm of fresh ginger, 300 g of scallop meat, 1/4 tomato, toasted sesame, salt flakes, flaked mullet roe.
Elaboration. Grate ginger, lime and orange. We also squeeze the juices. In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest, 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1 teaspoon of lime juice and 1 teaspoon of orange juice. We beat with some rods. We remove the corals from the scallops and we are left only with the sirloin, which we slice finely with the help of a very sharp knife. Place the slices on a large plate well spread out and sprinkle with the vinaigrette. We put in the fridge for an hour. Peel a tomato and cut it into quarters. Remove the seeds and cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the scallop from the fridge and let it cool slightly. We distribute the tomato seeds and the cubes on the scallop, sprinkle with sesame, salt flakes and laminated roe.
Full recipe | Carpaccio of scallops with citrus
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