Bottarga – half of Bottarga pouch

Garlic – 5 whole cloves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 3-5 table spoons

Lebanese Bread

Bottarga – The Mediterranean delicacy of Bottarga dates back to the Phoenician Era of few thousand years ago.  The ancient Phoenician cuisine encompasses traditional food preservation techniques utilizing all parts of the fish.  Bottarga represents Grey Mullet roe (fish eggs) cured with sea salt, air dried and casted in bee’s wax.  Bottarga made from Bluefin Tuna offers another variety and unique flavor.  The Phoenician culinary traditions are faithfully preserved in the modern Lebanese cuisine.  In Lebanon, the simple recipe of thinly sliced Bottarga (Batrakh in Arabic), topped with sliced garlic, soaked in olive oil and served with fresh flat bread, perfectly balances the flavors.  The freshly baked Lebanese bread made of flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt, offers subtle taste and light texture.  The cured fish roe pouches of Grey Mullet tempt the senses with vibrant colors and intense flavors of the sea.  Throughout the Mediterranean region, Bottarga enriches the culinary creations in Lebanon, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey and Egypt.  The Asian interpretation of the cured fish roe of Grey Mullet, called Karasumi in Japanese, represents a highly praised delicacy in Japan and Taiwan.  The Karasumi tradition in Japan dates back to the Japanese Edo Period, reflects an expensive high quality product that is often served with sake (Japanese alcohol made from the fermented rice).  The selected premium quality Bottarga used in this recipe, comes from the Mediterranean Sea and is made by the Trikalinos Company, a family business established in 1856 in Greece.