Bottarga, a luxurious dish to discover at Comtesse du Barry

The poutargue is part of the Mediterranean gastronomic heritage. It can be made of mullet roe or red tuna. 

Today, this specialty finds its place on the menus of starred restaurants where great chefs choose to include it in some of their most elaborate recipes. It is used as a condiment or as an ingredient in its own right. Like truffles, bottarga is generally not cooked - at least according to French haute gastronomie. They prefer it grated on a ready-to-serve dish. 

Cut into thin strips or eaten on buttered toast, bottarga is also appreciated as an aperitif or for festive meals. Here too it is used especially to flavour a dish, as its iodine taste, which becomes stronger as it matures, is very strong. 

A speciality of Martigues prepared with mullet roe 

Considered as the caviar of the Mediterranean, bottarga, also called boutarga - from the Provençal word "boutargo" - is indeed a culinary specialty of various Mediterranean regions. It can be found in Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Sardinia, Corsica, Greece and Portugal.

It is also present in France where the city of Martigues, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, has made it its specialty for several centuries. Historians Jean-Baptiste Legrand d'Aussy and Jean-Pierre Papon already mentioned it in the 18th century. This luxury dish made of mullet eggs is called "Martégal caviar".

Its production has not changed much. It is always prepared in an artisanal way with the greatest care in order not to damage the egg pouch. The latter is extracted from the female mullet in a single piece. Once cleaned, it is salted and dried in the sun.

Bottarga from mullet caught in the Atlantic Ocean

Today, bottarga is a luxury dish, mainly due to the high demand for mullet, called muge in Provencal. At the age of maturity - around 3 or 4 years - the female mullet can lay up to 150g of eggs allowing the preparation of 120g of bottarga. To make our bottarga, the fish is caught in the Atlantic Ocean before being salted, dried and packed in wax.

With Comtesse du Barry, discover a poutargue that has a good presence in the mouth thanks to a soft, but sticky and slightly candied texture as well as a powerful iodized flavor. Its strong fishy taste will wonderfully complement a pasta dish or a risotto. You can also enjoy it in thin slices on toasted bread or on a blini topped with fresh cream. It goes well with a dry white wine.

Bottarga can be kept in the refrigerator.

See our Recipe of Linguine with Poutargue