Fregola con Gamberi e Bottarga
Toasted semolina pasta pearls simmered in rich prawn stock, tossed with sweet prawns and finished with cured mullet roe. Known locally in Sardinian as fregula cun gamberos e bottàriga.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •Large sauté pan
- •Medium saucepan
- •Fine sieve
- •Chef's knife
- •Fine microplane grater
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 13 g
- carbs
- 61 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 31 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Peel the prawns, collecting all heads and shells in a saucepan while setting the tails aside.
- 2
Cover prawn shells with water, add parsley stalks, and simmer gently for 15 minutes to create stock.
- 3
Strain the prawn stock through a fine sieve, pressing the heads to extract rich juices, and keep warm.
- 4
Heat olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium heat and sizzle the crushed garlic and chilli.
- 5
Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until softened and releasing juices.
- 6
Tip in dry fregola, stirring constantly for 1 minute to coat every pearl in flavourful oil.
- 7
Pour in white wine and let it bubble vigorously until the raw alcohol smell dissipates completely.
- 8
Ladle hot prawn stock into the fregola gradually, simmering for 14 minutes like a risotto until al dente.
- 9
Fold the raw prawn tails into the hot fregola and cook for 2 minutes until opaque and tender.
- 10
Take pan off the heat, stir through chopped parsley, and scatter freshly grated bottarga across the top.
Chef's tips
Never cook the bottarga directly in the simmering pan, as prolonged heat makes it bitter and destroys its delicate oceanic aroma. Take time to crush the prawn heads into the stock, as this builds the foundational sweetness of the sauce. Keep the stock hot throughout cooking so the fregola cooks evenly without dropping in temperature.
Ingredient substitutions
- cured mullet bottarga → cured tuna bottarga (bottarga di tonno), which has a darker colour and stronger, saltier bite
- fregola sarda → pearl couscous or acini di pepe, though they lack the rustic roasted grain flavour of true Sardinian fregola
Storage
Best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one day.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water over low heat, adding fresh bottarga only after warming.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Discarding prawn heads and shells instead of boiling them into an essential aromatic stock.
- •Overcooking the prawn tails until they turn rubbery instead of gently poaching them at the end.
- •Cooking down the dish until dry; it should retain a moist, glossy sauce around each pasta pearl.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Fregola con Gamberi e Bottarga?
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