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" Prized and priced almost as highly as endangered sturgeon roe from the Caspian Sea, bottarga, the cured roe of bluefin tuna (bottarga di tonno) or gray mullet (bottarga di muggine), is now appearing on restaurant menus and in gourmet shops across the United States. This Mediterranean delicacy lends a saline, subtly fishlike note to pasta, eggs and beans. Prepared in Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia since ancient times, the whole egg sacs are cured in salt, pressed to shape and firm them, then air-dried. You can buy bottled bottarga already grated, but for peak flavor, shave, slice or grate as needed from a whole sausage-like slab (3 oz., about $35). It&amp;#039;s a costly luxury, but it lasts for months if wrapped airtight and refrigerated. Show bottarga off in streamlined dishes: Toss it with shrimp and fennel for a salad, combine it with a fried egg over hot pasta, shave over risotto or marinate in olive oil and spoon over warm toast.Shrimp and Fennel Salad with Bottarga   Ingredients   In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the bottarga and let marinate for 30 minutes. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp turn pink outside and white inside, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel the shrimp and halve lengthwise; remove black veins if necessary. Halve and core the fennel bulb. On a mandoline or other manual vegetable slicer, slice the two halves paper-thin. Alternatively, use a sharp knife and slice the fennel as thinly as possible. In a serving bowl, combine the shrimp, fennel and parsley and toss. Add the bottarga and its marinade and several grinds of black pepper; toss gently. Taste for salt and lemon. Serve immediately.  Serves 4.  *Available in gourmet stores or online at GourmetSardinia.com.Spaghetti with Bottarga and Fried Eggs Ingredients   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and saut\u00E9 until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the garlic. Reduce the heat to low and add the parsley, pepper flakes, bottarga and a couple of tablespoons of boiling water from the pasta pot. Simmer for about 30 seconds to blend the flavors, then set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the boiling pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the hot pot over low heat. Add the contents of the skillet and toss well, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water. Keep warm while you fry the eggs. Working quickly, melt the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Break each egg into a small custard cup, then slide the eggs into the skillet. Fry until the whites have just set, then turn the eggs and cook on the second side for 15 seconds, so the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny. Divide the pasta among two warm bowls. Top each portion with a fried egg and garnish the eggs with parsley, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Serves 2.   See the October 2007 Resources for this article "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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