Bottarga is mullet roe (or tuna) that has been salted, pressed and seasoned for four or five months. Produced mainly in Sardinia, it is also prepared in other Mediterranean coastal areas from Provence to Tunisia. It looks like a golden-brown or amber sausage, firm but not dry, and it is eaten sliced or grated.

It can be cut into thin slices or, if it is more highly seasoned, grated directly onto pasta or fish fillets. The flavor of the bottarga changes depending on the fish it is made from. When made from mullet, it is slightly bitter and quite salty, vaguely reminiscent of almonds. Tuna and cod bottarga are of lower quality than the mullet bottarga and have a stronger aroma. 

Bottarga is used in various ways and can be enjoyed at seaside restaurants all over Italy. Usually it is served as an antipasto, sliced thin on pieces of toasted bread, and is often marinated a few hours in olive oil, then used as a sauce for pasta, with garlic, oil, lemon and pepper. Spaghetti with clams and bottarga is particularly delicious. 

Bottarga can be kept up to several months by wrapping it in aluminum foil and storing it in the warmer parts of the refrigerator or in its crisper drawers. Once it has been cut, however, it should be eaten within a few hours.