Linguine with Clams and Roe of Grey Mullet

When one thinks of the sea and Sardinia, linguine alle vongole e bottarga, or Linguine with Clams and Roe of Grey Mullet, naturally comes to mind, as this dish is uniquely tied to the island. Vongole are commonly found in the Sardinian sea and other Mediterranean regions, but bottarga is a local specialty. It consists of mullet eggs that are salted and cured for at least 90 days, making it highly prized and therefore costly. Some have even dubbed it 'the caviar of the Mediterranean.' By following this recipe closely, you are sure to savour this exquisite delicacy.

Linguine alle vongole e bottarga

Good to know

In my cherished Sardinia, specifically in the town of Marceddì by the Arborea lagoon, fishermen wade only up to their thighs to handpick vongole one by one. The clams are buried 10-15 cm beneath the sand in the lagoon; the fishermen employ a selective and sustainable technique to protect the habitat: they use a box with a glass bottom, known as a specchio. They look for two small holes in the sand made by the vongole, which indicate where to dig for the mollusc, ensuring they do not disrupt the surrounding biodiversity.

This method allows us to enjoy and prepare delicious linguine with clams and grey mullet roe.

Ingredients serves 4

• Linguine pasta, 500 g

• Vongole (clams) 300 g

• Garlic, cloves, unpeeled, 3-4

• Parsley, a handful chopped, some with the stalk too

• Bottarga (roe of grey mullet) 3-4 tbsp

• Extra virgin olive oil, 10-20 ml

• White wine, 1 glass

Let's jump to the method

1. Prepare all the ingredients.

2. To clean the vongole (clams) and remove the sand, rinse them and place them in a container with cold water and sea salt. Allow them to purge for at least 6 hours.

3. After an hour, rinse them again, ensuring all impurities on the shells are removed; use a food brush if needed. Rinse once more and set aside.

4. Once the vongole are cleaned, prepare a pot of water large enough for 500 g of linguine and bring it to a boil. Ideally, use 1 litre of water and 10 g of salt for every 100 g of pasta.

5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the unpeeled garlic, 4 or 5 parsley stalks, and finally the cleaned vongole (clams).

6. Add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate, then cover with a lid to let the vongole open, which should take about 5 minutes. Discard any that remain closed.

7. Transfer the opened vongole to a plate; discard the parsley stalks and garlic cloves, then strain and keep the juices in the frying pan.

8. When the water for the pasta is boiling, add salt and the linguine. Follow the cooking time on the package, reducing by 2 minutes.

9. When the linguine is nearly cooked, ‘al dente’, transfer it to the frying pan with the reserved juices from the vongole. Add a ladle of the pasta water and cook for 2 more minutes.

10. Add the grated bottarga. Mix well, then add the vongole.

11. Drizzle with oil and add the chopped parsley. Sauté everything together until a creamy sauce forms.

12. Now serve the linguine! Top with any remaining sauce and vongole. Sprinkle freshly grated bottarga on top.

13. Buon appetito and enjoy the linguine alle vongole e bottarga di muggine!

Linguine with Clams and Roe of Grey Mullet