8 ounces zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices

8 ounces yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices

Maldon or other flaky sea salt

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 1D2 to 2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes

3 large fresh mint sprigs, leaves removed and torn into 2 or 3 pieces each

11D2 cups Pomì strained tomatoes, simmered until reduced by half

1 pound dried linguine

1D2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs, fried in olive oil until golden brown

A small piece of bottarga di mugine

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large pot over medium heat until hot. Add the red onion and cook, stirring, occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash, season with Maldon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, half the mint, and the tomato sauce and remove from the heat.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain, reserving about 3D4 cup of the pasta water.

Add the pasta and 1D2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the sauce and stir and toss gently over medium heat until the pasta is well coated (add a splash or two more of the reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce). Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and scatter the bread crumbs and the remaining mint over the top. Using a Microplane or other rasp grater, grate lots of bottarga over the top. Serve immediately.

(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-five restaurants including Eataly, Del Posto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)