Ingredient Spotlight - Shad Roe

No, I didn't get sucked up into the heavens during the rapture, I fell ill and I've been busy playing catch-up at work. My apologies for neglecting the site.  Anyway, let me back up - a little over a week ago, I excitedly posted on Facebook and Twitter that I would be picking up my order of shad roe from Mercato del Mare. Foodies everywhere know how exciting it is to be able to get their mitts on fresh shad roe - after all, it is highly perishable and has a limited season - so you can imagine my excitement when I got my "Today's Catch" newsletter and saw shad roe on the list. Not surprisingly, the ladies at Mercato recommended that orders be placed in advance.

What is shad roe? For those of you who aren't food nerds like me and didn't spend your adolescence leafing through your mom's 1970's printing of James Beard's New Fish Cookery, I'll give you the biologist's answer - shad roe is the egg sac of the female shad, an ocean fish related to herring. A cook, however, would tell you that shad roe is a prized delicacy. Knowing this, I called Mercato to place my order immediately, for I feared that all the other gastro-geeks would beat me to it. I picked up my order after work and rushed home so I could get started on making a mess of my kitchen. I developed a great original recipe, but before I got around to posting it I contracted Ebola or Rift Valley Fever or something else equally horrific (OK, it was just a sinus infection, but it still sucked).



Lobe of uncooked shad roe.

Uncooked shad roe resembles a chicken liver in the way that it comes in a pair, attached by a thin membrane. The sight of the roe caused my brain to drift back to my childhood. My dad loved going fishing, and I vividly remember him bringing his catch down to his work station in our basement where I'd watch him clean the fish (most often trout). He always threw the egg sacs to Snoopy, the most curious of our three cats. (Side note: If Snoopy had lived through the 90's, I most definitely would have nicknamed him "Snoop Catt.") Looking back, the chef in me can't believe that we threw away such a delicious part of the fish. However, the alarmist in me can't believe we thought it was OK to eat anything that came out of Lake Erie, which was once declared dead. It still shocks me that my Pops never reeled in anything resembling the radioactive man-worm featured in the all-time creepiest episode of "The X Files." But radioactivity/heavy metal toxicity aside, I can't help but wonder what sort of culinary magic could have been conjured up if we'd held on to that roe.



So what does shad roe taste like? It tastes like a combination of very mild liver laced with mild whitefish. It has a delicate texture that could easily be overpowered if you overseason it, so don't go crazy with the accoutrements, just let its flavor shine. While it's traditional to cook it simply in bacon fat or butter, try my twist - Shad Roe Saltimbocca!

　

Shad Roe Saltimbocca

1 T. bacon fat

2 T. butter, divided in half

several fresh sage leaves, minced

2 pairs shad roe

4 slices prosciutto

splash dry white wine

lemon wedges, to serve



Prepare the shad roe by dividing the pairs into individual lobes, being careful not to tear the membrane. Using a pin or the tip of a very sharp knife, poke several microscopic holes in each lobe of roe - this will prevent them from bursting.

Preheat your broiler. In the meantime, melt the bacon fat and 1 T. of the butter. Pour this into a casserole dish to coat the bottom. (Hint: You'll want to use a casserole dish that just barely fits the roe - you don't want much space between each lobe of roe or between the roe and the sides of the dish.)



Sprinkle the minced sage into the greased casserole dish, then add the shad roe. Divide the remaining butter into 4 pats and place one on top of each lobe of shad roe, then top each lobe with a slide of prosciutto. Pour a quick splash of dry white wine into the dish, shake the dish to distribute the wine, then throw the dish under the broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the proscuitto is crisp and the roe has firmed up and lost its pink color.

Serve with lemon wedges - a quick squirt of lemon juice really perks up the flavor!