Bottarga and Tomato Salad with Olive Oil

Arrange 600g of tomatoes across four plates and finish each with 7.5g of thinly shaved mullet bottarga. The salad uses 30g of edible shavings from one approximately 90g piece, with olive oil and lemon measured separately.

• Yield: 4 starter salads
• Tomatoes: 150g per person
• Bottarga: 7.5g per plate

Ingredients and packs

Bottarga is cured mullet roe rather than sturgeon caviar. No extra salt is specified until the exact bottarga and tomato batch have been assessed.

Equipment

• Sharp serrated knife and board
• Vegetable peeler or bottarga slicer
• Small whisk, bowl and digital scale
• Four wide plates

Build four salads

1. Prepare the roe. Remove any inedible covering as directed by the pack, then prepare 30g of edible bottarga shavings. Keep it chilled or handled as its exact label directs until shaving.
2. Cut the tomatoes by type. Wash the tomatoes, then slice large ones, halve small ones and discard tough cores. Weigh four 150g groups.
3. Mix the dressing. Whisk 30ml olive oil with 12ml lemon juice and the pepper.
4. Arrange before dressing. Spread one tomato group on each plate and spoon one quarter of the dressing over it.
5. Add basil. Tear the leaves at the last moment and divide them evenly across the four salads.
6. Shave the bottarga. Use the peeler to add 7.5g of thin slices to each plate and serve promptly.

Weigh shavings, not the starting piece

Weigh the edible shavings that reach the plates, after any inedible covering is removed. Four × 7.5g is 30g in total. Fragments left on the slicer are not part of that allocation, so prepare enough usable bottarga before dividing it. The approximately 90g pack weight is not a promise of exact trimmed yield.

Salad corrections

• The plate fills with tomato water: cut close to service and use wide plates rather than a deep bowl.
• The bottarga crumbles: chill the piece under its label and use a sharp peeler for thin strokes.
• The dressing overwhelms smaller tomatoes: divide the measured amount by plate instead of pouring from the full bowl.
• One serving gets thicker shavings: weigh each 7.5g allocation after shaving.

Allergens and storage boundary

Fish is present. Check the exact bottarga and any flavoured oil labels, including cross-contact. Wash and handle tomatoes under suitable fresh-produce practice. Follow the exact opened-storage directions for the remaining bottarga and serve dressed salad promptly; no leftover life is stated.

Dressing and portion check

Four plates × 150g tomatoes is 600g prepared weight. Divide 30ml oil into 7.5ml per plate and 12ml lemon juice into 3ml per plate. Tear and divide the 10g basil rather than leaving most of it on the first salad. Bottarga supplies salt, so taste a dressed bite before adding any more.

At the 12 October 2026 catalogue check, the approximately 90g bottarga pack was £19 and available. The whole pack purchase is £19, even though the salad uses 30g of edible shavings. Actual remaining weight depends on the received piece and trimming. The current product page says to wrap and refrigerate after opening, with best use within 30 days; follow the received label and dates. Serve the dressed salads promptly and refrigerate prepared ingredients until assembly.

For the category difference, read our bottarga and caviar guide. This recipe uses cured grey-mullet roe rather than a tin of sturgeon pearls.