Bottarga with Shaved Celery

Salty, sweet, creamy, and delicate, bottarga di muggine is one of my go-to ingredients. Resembling membrillo (quince paste) in both color and texture, bottarga is made from the air-cured ovarian sacs of grey mullet. I have to admit that when Alberto first introduced me to this product on a trip to Oristano, the sleepy sun-washed city in Sardegna, I wasn’t enthusiastic. (“Air-cured ovarian sacs” were not something I intuitively knew to be delicious.) But, as I discovered, bottarga combines both a subtle brininess and a creamy texture. Whether tossed with spaghetti or as here, sliced thin and accompanied by the fresh crunch of celery and a mild olive oil, it adds a whisper of the sea, a sweetness touched with a slight pungency.

Serves 4

5 celery stalks, including leaves

Juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ tablespoons)

Sea salt, for finishing

4 ounces bottarga di muggine

3 tablespoons mild olive oil, such as Biancolilla

1. Remove and reserve the outer leaves of the celery and slice the stalks thinly on a bias. Place on a serving plate.

2. Season with the lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt.

3. Using a sharp paring knife, slice the bottarga on the bias into thin strips, no more than ⅛ inch thick, and carefully lay it atop the celery.

4. Drizzle everything with olive oil and garnish with a few celery leaves. Serve immediately.

“I always thought that what made il Buco so special was that it was imperfect, never quite finished. And, for heaven’s sake, they were always selling the furniture!”

—BOB GUCCIONE JR.