Buy Bottarga UK: Product Guide and Lemon Pasta Recipe

By Alex Beleaev | Caviar & Gourmet, London | beleaev.com

You can buy proper grey mullet bottarga in the UK and have it delivered to your door, no trip to a Sardinian deli required. The trick is knowing what good bottarga looks like, and how to use it once it arrives, because this is a seasoning to grate, not a fillet to fry. This guide covers both.

Beleaev ships grey mullet bottarga, made in Italy in the traditional way, across the UK. Below: what to look for when you buy, how much you need, and the plain Sardinian method that does it justice over a bowl of pasta.

Key Takeaways

• Bottarga is salt-cured, air-dried grey mullet roe, sold as a firm amber block
• Look for grey mullet (muggine), a deep amber colour and an Italian origin
• A block of around 90g, from £19, seasons many plates: a little goes a long way
• Grate or shave it over hot pasta at the end, off the heat
• Start with the Beleaev caviar and gourmet range

What to Look For When You Buy Bottarga

Not all cured roe is equal, and the label tells you most of what you need to know.

Grey mullet, first of all. Grey-mullet bottarga is bottarga di muggine, made from grey mullet: delicate, nutty and versatile. Tuna bottarga (di tonno) is darker and stronger, a different product. Either can be used in cooking according to its flavour and exact label. Ours is grey mullet, made in Italy.

Colour and form. Good bottarga is a firm, dense block with a deep amber-orange interior, the colour earned through slow drying. It should feel solid, not soft, and slice cleanly. Colour and firmness alone do not verify the curing time, fish identity or handling history; read the exact label.

Origin and method. Sardinia and Sicily are the heartland, and a clear Italian origin with a salt-cured, air-dried method is what you are after. If the label does not establish fish identity or origin, ask for the missing information before buying.

How Much Bottarga Do You Need?

Less than you think. This is the most common surprise for a first-time buyer.

Bottarga is a finishing seasoning, grated in small amounts, so a single block stretches a remarkably long way. A block of around 90g will season many bowls of pasta over several meals, because each plate needs only a generous grating rather than a thick slice. Think of it the way you would a truffle or a hard grating cheese: a little, added with intent.

	Bottarga
Fish	Grey mullet (muggine)
Form	Firm amber block, vacuum-packed
Net weight	Around 90g
Origin	Made in Italy
Best use	Grated over pasta, risotto, eggs
From	£19

That economy is part of the appeal. A modest block of grey mullet bottarga is stored according to its pack and turns store-cupboard pasta into something you would serve a guest, again and again. Explore it alongside the tins in the Beleaev caviar collection.

Spaghetti with Mullet Bottarga and Lemon: Four Portions

Coat 320g of spaghetti in lemon butter and finish four bowls with 10g of grated mullet bottarga each. The recipe uses 40g edible bottarga from one approximately 90g pack and 40g from plain salted dairy butter.

• Yield: 4 pasta portions
• Spaghetti: 80g dry weight per person
• Bottarga: 10g per bowl

Ingredients and packs

Bottarga is cured mullet roe, not sturgeon caviar. It contributes seasoning, and the plain salted butter is salted, so this specification adds no salt until the pasta water and exact bottarga have been assessed.

Equipment

• Large pasta pan and colander or tongs
• Wide sauté pan and heatproof spatula
• Fine grater, digital scale and measuring jug
• Four warmed bowls

Cook and emulsify

1. Prepare the bottarga. Follow the pack to remove any inedible membrane or covering, then weigh 40g edible bottarga for the recipe. Grate 30g finely and reserve 10g for the four finished bowls.
2. Cook the spaghetti. Follow the pasta pack until the strands reach the intended bite. Before draining, reserve 200ml cooking water.
3. Start the pan sauce. Melt 40g butter with the olive oil over low heat. Add lemon zest, juice and 80ml reserved water.
4. Toss off fierce heat. Add the drained spaghetti and turn until the liquid coats the strands. Use more reserved water in measured additions if the pan tightens.
5. Add 30g bottarga last. Remove the pan from direct heat, fold through the finely grated portion, parsley and pepper.
6. Finish four bowls. Divide the spaghetti and grate 2.5g of the reserved bottarga over each serving.

Measure the pasta-water addition

Different pasta releases different starch. Reserve 200ml cooking water and add it gradually. The initial 80ml is a starting quantity, not an instruction to pour in the full reserve. Keep the sauce coating the strands rather than pooling.

Pasta troubleshooting

• The sauce looks oily: add warm pasta water a tablespoon at a time and toss vigorously off direct heat.
• The bottarga clumps: grate it finely and fold it through after removing the pan from the hob.
• The dish is too salty: use restrained pasta-water salt. If you choose less bottarga, note the new amount and divide it consistently between the four bowls.
• The lemon collects in one area: mix measured zest and juice into the pan liquid before adding spaghetti.

Allergens and storage boundary

Fish, milk and wheat, including gluten, are present. Pasta may contain egg and exact labels may add cross-contact statements. Follow the bottarga and butter pack directions after opening. Serve pasta promptly and use safe cooked-pasta cooling practice for any plain remainder. No leftover life is set for the finished dish.

More Ways to Use It

Pasta is the headline, but a block of bottarga earns its place across the week.

Shave it thinly over soft scrambled eggs, where the warmth releases its aroma without cooking it out. Grate it over a finished risotto in place of, or alongside, a hard cheese. Or serve it the simplest way of all: cut into thin slices as an antipasto, dressed with unfiltered olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, eaten as it is.

It also makes a quiet, clever partner for caviar lovers building a tasting spread. A board with a tin of fine roe, a few slices of bottarga and good bread covers the full range of cured-roe flavour, from the soft sturgeon egg to the dense Mediterranean block. Browse the wider caviar and gourmet range for the rest of the table.

Delivery and product handling

The current bottarga listing offers an approximately 90g grey-mullet piece made in Italy, priced at £19 in the catalogue on 12 October 2026. Price, pack weight and availability can change; check the selected product and delivery options at checkout.

The current product page directs cool, dry storage while sealed and wrapping and refrigeration after opening, with best use within thirty days. Follow the exact received pack if its instructions differ and respect any use-by date. Curing alone is not a reason to ignore temperature or opened-pack directions.

For the background and comparisons with sturgeon caviar and other roe, read the bottarga guide.

FAQ

Where can I buy bottarga in the UK?

Online, from gourmet specialists who name the fish and the origin. Beleaev delivers grey mullet bottarga, made in Italy, across the UK. Look for bottarga di muggine, a firm amber block and a clear Italian origin, rather than vague packaging that names neither the fish nor the country.

How much does bottarga cost?

A block of grey mullet bottarga of around 90g starts from £19. Because it is grated in small amounts as a finishing seasoning, a single block seasons many plates over several meals, so the cost per dish is modest despite the intensity of the flavour.

How do you store bottarga once you buy it?

Follow the received label: the current Beleaev page says cool, dry while sealed, then wrap and refrigerate after opening. It gives best use within thirty days after opening; the exact pack and any use-by date take precedence.

Can you eat bottarga raw?

It is a cured roe product intended for use as directed on its label. Do not equate curing with a blanket guarantee of safety for every pack or every guest. Grate it over warm pasta, shave it over eggs, or slice it thinly as an antipasto with olive oil and lemon. There is no need to cook it, and cooking it hard is best avoided as it dulls the flavour.

What pasta is best with bottarga?

Long, thin shapes that catch the oil and the grated roe: spaghetti or linguine are the Sardinian choice. Keep the sauce light, just olive oil, lemon, a little garlic and the starchy pasta water, then finish with bottarga grated over the top off the heat.

Grate It Like a Sardinian

A firm amber block, a sharp grater and a bowl of hot pasta: that is all it takes to bring a Sardinian classic to a London kitchen.

Discover grey mullet bottarga and the full Beleaev caviar and gourmet collection, and if you would like the story behind it first, read our guide to bottarga, the Mediterranean caviar. Made in Italy, cured in the old tradition, delivered across the UK.

Recipe weight and pack remainder

The pasta uses 40g edible bottarga after removing any inedible covering. An approximately 90g purchase does not guarantee exactly 50g usable remainder, because pack weight and trimming vary. Weigh the edible portion and follow the label for the unused piece. See bottarga tomato salad for a chilled alternative.