Smh-Goodliving-04Oct11

The Sydney Morning Herald smh.com.au/goodliving Tuesday, October 4, 2011 9 good living Australian connection ... (clockwise from main) Bottarga is made from mullet roe; chef Giovanni Pilu now produces his own; pasta with bottarga at Ormeggio at the Spit. Photos: Steve Lunam, Danielle Smith The roe less travelled Believing that bottarga is worth its salt, Giovanni Pilu has started to produce the Sardinian specialty locally, writes Olivia Riordan. or many years, chef Rocca, locals eat about 150 tonnes and female; the female fish are Italian bottarga,’’ he says. ‘‘It has Today, Pilu works with Salumi Giovanni Pilu bought of grey mullet bottarga every year. processed for roe removal, which is got a better colour, better aroma Australia to fine-tune the bottarga – salted, dried Tocater for such demand, it would then cleaned and graded into three and it also costs a lot less.’’ traditional recipe. F and pressed mullet roe – be necessary to fish 2300 tonnes of categories. Most premium roe is Bottarga can be used in pasta, After the mullet roe is shaped to from Sardinia for use at his female grey mullet. exported to Taiwanand Japan, with shaved on salads, infused with remove any air pockets, it is Freshwater restaurant. ‘‘The vast majority of fresh roe a smaller portion sent to Europe. butter or served with buffalo covered in salt for a maximum of Little did he know, the raw that are transformed and sold as ‘‘Bottarga needs very little mozzarella. While Sardinian two hours. material had travelled from bottarga come from grey mullet processing,’’ Pilu says. ‘‘Allyou have bottarga can fetch up to $300 a Salt is used as a preservation Australia to Italy and back again. fished in non-Sardinian waters to do is clean the blood lines, then kilogram, Pilu’sbottarga is half technique, not for flavour, as the He uncovered the link on one of and, more often than not, in foreign rinse and massage it so that the the price. roe already has a natural saltiness. his regular trips to his homeland. waters,’’ Rocca says. Once this is complete, the roe is ‘‘We were wandering through the For Pilu, this was his light-bulb rinsed and air-dried for up to seven markets in Cagliari and a local moment. ‘‘I thought, ‘This is crazy’. ‘It melts through [the pasta] and gives a days. The longer the bottarga is left fisherman recognised the Why would I buy bottarga from beautiful creaminess.’ Alessandro Pavoni to dry, the more intense the flavour [Australian] accent and stopped Sardinia, when we’ve got exactly and darker the colour. us,’’ he says. the same roe in Australia and we ‘‘We use it left, right and centre at ‘‘He told me that he travels to can make it ourselves?’’ eggs are tight inside the membrane Not only is it cheaper, ‘‘it just the restaurant,’’ Pilu says. Queensland once a year to buy In a collaboration with and there are no air pockets. doesn’t make sense for the same ‘‘We shave it on salads, infuse it mullet roe and brings it back to Massimo Scalas, from Salumi ‘‘Once that’sdone, it’scovered in product to go around the world with butter, serve it with buffalo Sardinia to make bottarga. I Australia (see story,left) in salt, for a maximum of two hours, twice,’’ Pavoni says. mozzarella, or with crostini. was shocked. northern NSW,Pilu was lucky to then rinsed and air-dried for up to ‘‘Tome, the best utilisation for ‘‘The boys in the kitchen make a ‘‘He explained the [mullet] roe find one of Australia’sleading seven days.’’ bottarga is in pasta,’’ he says. ‘‘It joke – ‘let’smake gelato with in Sardinia is so limited, they can’t mullet roe processors, Markwell Faced with the choice of melts through and gives a beautiful bottarga’ – but that’sgetting a keep up [with demand]. There’s Fisheries, almost next door. imported Sardinian bottarga or creaminess, while also imparting bit extreme.’’ only just enough to cater for the Fishermen beach-haul about Pilu’sBottarga di Muggine, fellow the saltiness and aroma of the sea.’’ local market but not enough 40 tonnes of mullet daily during a Italian chef Alessandro Pavoni, Though he grew up in Sardinia, Pilu Bottarga di Muggine to export.’’ season that begins in early April from Ormeggio at the Spit, believes Pilu never took a liking to the ($24/160g) is sold at Fourth Village According to one of Sardinia’s and runs through to the end of July. the answer is clear. ‘‘Giovanni’s distinctive flavour of bottarga. Now Providore, Mosman, or email largest bottarga producers, Stefano The catch is then graded into male bottarga is so much fresher than he can’t get enough of it. [email protected]. 1HERSA1 0009.

Load more