Homemade Squid Ink Pasta with Bottarga
This dish may look exotic but its taste is as down-home as it gets, especially if you live on the Italian seaside.







Homemade Squid Ink Pasta with Bottarga
This dish may look exotic but its taste is as down-home as it gets, especially if you live on the Italian seaside.
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour set aside the 1/4 cup of flour, yields 14 ounces pasta
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon squid ink
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- Pinch of kosher salt
To Prepare the Dish:
- 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes roasted (instructions below)
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon you may only need half
- 1-4 - 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup toasted bread crumbs see note
- Bottarga to taste, roughly 1 -1 1/2 ounces
- Squid ink pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Pasta:
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To prepare the Pasta, follow the instructions on this post. The only difference would be to add the squid ink, salt and olive oil when you make the well and add the eggs to the flour.
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Before you cook this dish, your pasta should have been rolled and cut.
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Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a few pinches of salt and cook the pasta. Fresh pasta takes no more than three to four minutes to cook. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside.
Cook:
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Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant and the garlic is beginning to color, about two minutes. Turn your heat down if the garlic browns too quickly.
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Add the roasted tomatoes and lemon zest. If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Cook for one or two minutes.
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Add the pasta, a squeeze of lemon juice, half the bread crumbs, half the chopped parsley and toss. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the pasta water in 1/4 increments to add moisture to the dish and continue to toss. Add more olive oil if it looks dry.
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Plate the pasta and shave as much bottarga over the top as you would like. Garnish with more bread crumbs, parsley and lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
1. To prepare the tomatoes: slice the cherry tomatoes in half and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Optional: add a splash of balsamic vinegar before roasting. Roast at 400ºF for thirty minutes.
2. To prepare the bread crumbs: I used Panko bread crumbs for convenience. Toast the bread crumbs in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Stir often to make sure the crumbs toast evenly. You can add a few sprinkles of garlic powder for more flavor. It will take three to four minutes for the crumbs to toast to a golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
I’ve only had squid ink pasta once. It was a near perfect experience on the Adriatic coast of Croatia near a town called Mali Ston. I can’t say for sure whether the ink was in the sauce or the pasta but I was struck by the black color (similar to what I see here). Now, not only do I want squid ink pasta, but I want to return to Croatia too. GREG
Beautiful, Jean! I always love your homemade pasta! 🙂
Hi
I’m impressed with your lighting in your pics and the way you weave little nuggets about Sardinia into your writing.
Ian aka le Chef
Thank you so much for the nice compliments, Ian. The photography is a work in progress but I enjoy it. Much appreciated. 🙂
I’ve made Bottarga and I have some dried pieces in my spice/herb rack. I imagine the slight (only slight) oiliness goes well with this squid ink pasta. .
Hi, Ian. Yes, the bottarga added just the right amount of punch to the squid ink pasta–they make a great match. 🙂