Surf & Turf Pasta Finished with Generous Amount of Grated Bottarga

Bottarga is Italy's version of salted cured fish roe, across the ocean, Chinese has similar thing called salted mullet roe, or karasumi in Japanese. The most common way to serve it Chinese style is by wiping the roe with alcohol then grill it. Usually serve with leek, daikon, or pear. 

I saved some leftover salted mullet roe and stored in the freezer. Salted mullet roe/bottarga comes in handy when in need of a flavor boost, and its orange hue adds a color pop on the dishes.

Surf & turf pasta finished with generous amount of grated bottarga -

Ingredients (for 4 to 5 portions)?

• 1 pack/500 grams linguine
• 8 to 10 whole large shrimps
• 1 medium sized steak
• 2 squid
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons peeled chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons peeled chopped garlic
• 2 red chilies
• 1 zucchini
• 1 big handful asparagus
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon
• 12 whole pitted green olives
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some bottarga (optional)

How?

Remove the steak from the fridge and let it rest under room temperature for around 10 minutes before cooking. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on both sides. Cut the squid into rings and bite size pieces. 

Peel and finely shop the shallots and garlic cloves. Slice the olives into rings. Trim off the chili stems and chop into smaller rings. Zest one lemon and juice half of the lemon. Slice the asparagus. Peel and chop the zucchini into strips. Finely chop the sun dried tomatoes. 

Bring a big pot of water to a boil then add few pinches of salt to flavor the water. Add in the pasta and cook till al dente, once ready, drain well and set aside for later use.

Take a big pan, add in two tablespoons of olive oil and wait till it warms up. Add in whole shrimps and cut squid. Sear till about 90% cooked through, scoop out and wait till cool enough to handle by hand. Remove the shrimp heads and peel away the shells, or keep it intact if preferred. 

Use the same pan, add in one more tablespoon of olive oil and wait till it gets hot. Add in the steak and sear till both sides are browned a little, try to cook till medium rare. Once ready, remove from heat and let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Still using the same pan, pour in just a little bit of wine to deglaze the bottom. Use a wooden spatula to scrape out the brown bits sticking onto the pan. 

Add in shallots, garlic, chilies, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix and cook for about one minute.

Add in zucchini and asparagus. Stir fry till softens a little. Add in sun dried tomatoes and olives, cook for another 30 seconds or so.

Pour in the lemon juice and rest of the wine, bring to a boil then lower to medium heat. Add the lemon zest. 

Mix in the pasta and cook for one minute till incorporated will the sauce.

Pour the seared seafood back into the mixture, along with its flavorful juice. Mix gently. Plate the pasta and top with steak slices. Grate generous amount of bottarga all over to boost up the umami taste. 

If no bottarga on hand, tried aged Parmigiano Reggiano.

Other pasta recipes:

• Cheesy goodness: chicken pesto lasagna
• Tofette pasta with ground chicken and cream of mushroom
• A healthier choice - chunky bacon and veggies spaghetti
• Just got a little greedy on the seared duck breast...just a little...(spaghetti with duck breast in balsamic cream sauce)