The Sardinian specialty of cured fish roe, often grated over pasta, is bottarga.
Bottarga is made from an intact pouch of fish roe, most commonly grey mullet roe in Sardinia. The roe is removed carefully, salted, pressed or massaged to remove air pockets, and dried for several weeks. This produces a firm, concentrated food with a salty, savory flavor and a distinctive marine aroma.
Sardinian bottarga is often called butàriga in Sardinian. It is commonly shaved or grated over pasta, where its intense flavor works much like a seasoning. It may also be served in thin slices with olive oil, lemon, bread, or crostini. Pasta with bottarga is particularly associated with coastal Mediterranean cooking.
Bottarga is not limited to Sardinia: Italian versions also use bluefin tuna roe, especially in Sicily. Similar cured-roe products exist elsewhere, including Japanese karasumi and Greek avgotaracho, but bottarga is the canonical Italian name.