Where to find <i>bottarga</i> in the L.A. area

Remember that whole pieces of bottarga di muggine average 3.5 to 7 ounces, so while a piece of the cured roe might cost $30, it will take only an ounce to make a spaghetti alla bottarga for six — $5 to $6 worth.

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, 419 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 278-2855. Bottarga di muggine, $165 per pound. Bottarga di tonno, $140 per pound. Also available online.

Guidi Marcello, 1649 10th St., Santa Monica, (310) 452-6277. Bottarga di muggine, $89 per pound. Bottarga di tonno, $120 per pound.

Gustiamo (online purveyor of all things Italian) (718) 860-2949. Bottarga di mugine is $32.50 for a 3.5-ounce piece. A 2.4-ounce jar of grated mullet roe is $27.

Monsieur Marcel, the original Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 939-7792. Silver mullet roe from France, $128 per pound.

Surfas, 8777 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-4770. Bottarga di muggine, $127 per pound.

—S. Irene Virbila