Bottarga: Silver Mullet Caviar

Bottarga, caviar cultivated in Mediterranean countries for centuries, is making its way into the U.S. Made from silver mullet's roe, bottarga (also called boutargue, poutargue or botarga) is a delicacy in Italian, French, Spanish, Greek and Lebanese cuisines.

At first glance, Bottarga is unrecognizable as caviar-it is odorless and looks more like a flat, waxed sausage than fancy roe. But once the wax is removed (by slicing then squeezing lightly to remove the covering), the flavorful caviar emerges, varying from golden yellow to darker shades of reddish brown. Typically eaten as an appetizer, it is also used grated in pasta dishes. Not easily available in the American market yet, you can find it online. Finesaler has begun importing whole and grated Memmi Bottarga, which is cured with salt and dried. Other online outlets, such as bottarga.net, sell it as well.