Roasted Carrots with Grated Bottarga Dressed in Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Serves 4

Bottarga is one of those is very Italian ingredients, and it’s hard to find outside of the country (see Source guide, page xx.). Bottarga is a delicacy of dried, salted, cured fish roe, typically from the grey mullet or bluefin tuna. It is considered to be the truffle of the sea because it carries the distinctive flavor of the sea, and is used as a condiment in lieu of salt—sprinkled on pasta, pizza, and vegetables (as in this recipe). A staple in my La Fortezza pantry, it’s sold in a small brick that can be grated, or comes already grated in a jar.

 Ingredients:

12 organic carrots, peeled

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided, for roasting and dressing

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoon grated bottarga

 Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Clean and peel carrots, place them into a roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Shake the pan to coat them completely. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the carrots are roasted and soft.

Place on a platter, sprinkle with the lemon juice and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and grate the bottarga over the carrots. Serve warm.