Everything about this recipe screams spring. When the shad swim up river to breed it means it’s time to visit my brother upstate for our first camping trip every year. We have lunch on the Hudson River watching the shad fisherman compete not only for their bony, white fillets but for their crimson roe. Early spring is possibly the most precious time of year for seasonal foods because it produces a small short burst of bounty in a fleeting window. It feels so fragile and so new, bringing with it fertile creativity, relationships, sea and earth alike.
Sometimes spring feels like slowly waking up from a dream. Spring peas, arugula and fava beans return like old friends you feared you might not see again, but they come back every year to stay. Trees bud then bloom back into life. The markets start to excite me. It’s happening and this dish is as seasonal as it gets.
Shad roe isn’t pretty. It looks like a set of wet lungs lined with a fractal decoration of veins. Once cooked they’re like clumpy, meaty little balls, salty and sea-like. They lend their flavor to this dish in the most subtle way. Normally, shad roe is cooked in butter and capers. Fat lends the flavor like the original recipe here which calls for pancetta. I wanted to keep this low in fat and gluten free so I went for a pasta made entirely of black beans and used Spanish smoked paprika to mimic the smoky flavor of pancetta. Lemon juice and zest give it a bright flavor and really brings it all together. The best part about this dish is you can tweak it as you like.
Happy spring! Here’s hoping for the warmer part of the season!
BLACK BEAN ROTINI W/ SHAD ROE, FAVA BEANS AND SPRING PEAS
Adapted from The Garum Factory
INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced crosswise
- ½ celery stalk, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 set/pair shad roe sacs (about 8 ounces total)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, cut into ¼ inch strips (I omitted this and added 1 teaspoon smoked paprika instead for flavor)
- 4-5 shallots minced, about 1 cup
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup blanched English peas
- 1/2 cup blanched fava beans
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish or 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained
- ¾ pound fresh fusilli or pasta of choice
- juice of ½ lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
For the Shad Roe:
Bring 2 cups water to a boil with the white wine, onion, celery, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Gently slip the roe sacs into the liquid (you don’t want the membrane holding everything together to rupture) and simmer 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the roe to cool in the liquid. Carefully remove the cool roe sacs from the poaching liquid. Remove the blood vessel and any heavy pieces of membrane. Split sacs in half and gently peel off the the membranes. Transfer the clean roe to a bowl. Use a fork to gently mash it into small clumps. Remove any obvious remaining membrane. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Shallots and Optional Pancetta (optional):
Heat the olive oil or cooking spray in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until the fat starts to render, about a minute. Don’t let it get too crispy. Reduce the heat to low.
If omitting pancetta, here just add the smoked paprika, shallots and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, pea tips, tarragon and horseradish and toss until the pea tips have wilted. Keep warm.
For the Pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring so the individual strands remain separate. Wait 1 minute, then stir again. Check periodically during cooking to make sure the strands aren’t sticking together. Cook until the pasta is tender but still offers a little resistance as you bite into it, about 2 minutes.
Assemble:
Add the roe to the pan with the peas.
Scoop the pasta out of the water and into the pan with the roe and toss well. Season with lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Be especially generous with pepper. Serve immediately.
I love fava beans and the growing season is far too short in the UK for my liking. The local farm stalls at the Boqueria start selling them as early February, along with artichokes, asparagus and tomatoes! I’m very fond of cod roe too, so no doubt I’d really enjoy the shad roe. The addition of black bean pasta serves to make the dish even more intriguing – why don’t I have a next door neighbour like you?
Oh yes, all of spring’s bounty…February! I’ve never had cod roe, but it looks similar to shad roe. I thought you would really like this meal. This is my first time trying alternatives to regular pasta and it was delicious. If you were my neighbor I’d have you over for dinner anytime 🙂
Ow, thanks Amanda! I’m sure you’ll love cod roe – it’s extremely good battered and deep fried, but more healthy smoked and spread on toast.
Yes it does and your description of spring is beautifully written.
Your recipe is very European with lots of interesting ingredients. This is truly a northern area recipe, though, especially NY where you can get every possible type of food.. We have shad (herring) but in the winter. I have not seen the roe for sale – mullet roe, yes.
I have not seen black bean pasta but I imagine any gluten free pasta could work here. I wish I could get fresh fave beans but no such luck. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post and how you made this recipe.
Thanks, Jovina. It does seem like a European recipe, which is what I love about it. Dishes like this bring me so much joy. You’re right it is very norther eastern too. Regional and seasonal. I’ve been eating herring a lot this week, but to have the roe too is a treat. The south has completely different seasons. I haven’t been into the gluten free scene because I’ve been a believer in moderation, but lately I’ve started to examine different flour uses and what they add to cooking. Have you cooked with gluten free pasta? As a specialist on Italian food, what are your thoughts? Thanks for your kind comment.
I have cooked gluten free pastas when I have a friend for dinner who has celiac disease.Corn holds up the best, but many of the others fall apart easily and are more like rice noodles.. I do occasionally make farro pasta which is not gluten free but good in rustic dishes.
Interesting. I’ll have to try them little by little.
Beautiful dish and makes me nostalgic for all the broad beans we grew in Spain. Beautiful words too…love you description of spring and all that it brings ☺
Thank you, Chica! Fava beans are very European. Americans are only just discovering them. I hope you have a lovely spring! xo
This dish looks very inviting and spring-like! I have never eaten shad roe, but I think I would like this recipe. It is cold and rainy today, so I too am really looking forward to the warmer part of spring! How fun to have a spring camping trip–you really get to experience the freshness of the season!
Thank you, Jenny. We too are having a colder spring week, but the warmer days get me excited and you feel like the world and good days are at your door. My favorite part of spring is the anticipation. I do love the spring camping! It’s coming up soon! I think you’d like shad roe too! Be well! xo
A lovely spring dish, Amanda and I can see the Hudson River in front of my eyes, it’s a wonderful neck of the woods there. Camping there sounds amazing, although I like a nice cabin with shower and a fire place. Black bean pasta, new to me but of course, I have to get some when I come across it.
Take care, N xx
Thanks, Nicole. As I get older I think I like the shower and heat as well. Camping one day, showers and heat the next. That’s the ideal weekend trip. The Hudson is beautiful along with all of upstate New York. I’m experimenting with alternate flours and this black bean pasta was a find. I hope you’re doing well and resting a lot!! xo
Wow, that pasta looks so dramatic! I’ve tried lentil pasta and chickpea pasta, and the taste was nice, but the texture was awful; they turned into a disastrous mush. Your pasta looks so much better! I must admit I am not usually a big fan of fish roe (too fishy, too salty), but I would gladly change my mind, especially when I see it served with beautiful spring veggies and a kick from the horseradish. Or I could use something I know I can manage, smoked trout or some other fish. Camping by the Hudson river sounds delightful, I wish I could be there with you guys (my friend upstate NY promised to take me to Maine for a few days to eat and hike… I simply CAN.NOT.WAIT for this trip to happen!)
OOOOMG you will love Maine. It’s one of the most beautiful states. We went there on vacation last summer. Maybe we could do a weekend in NY. I can’t wait for you to come either. I’m glad to hear you’ve tried all these other pastas. The black bean held together amazingly well. I really liked it. It’s part of my exploration. I know you told me moderation and thought you’d worry that I replaced traditional pasta here, but there is something to be said for whole grains in place of semolina/AP flour at times. This would be great with smoked trout. I really like smoked fish. You are going to love your trip and you’re getting here at just the right time!
I am all for trying out new grains, legumes, and seeds; not just for health, but also simply out of curiosity. My favorite replacement for Italian pasta is Kamut pasta, love the flavor and the texture! I also go for rice, buckwheat, sweet potato, and mung beans when cooking Asian. I would love to try that black bean pasta some day! Wonder whether one could get it in France…
I’d love to spend time with you outside the city! We’ll discuss it all when the time comes. Just when I think this trip can’t get any better, it just does!
Looking forward to discussing all of this in person!
Spring on a plate, Amanda, that´s all I can say. April´s bounty couldn´t be cooked up in a better way! Great to hear you and your brother spend time together on a regular basis. Mine lives in Germany and I don´t manage to see or hear him often… Have a lovely weekend! All the best as always, Sabine
Thank you, Sabine! I do love spring camping trips with my bro. I hope you guys meet up soon!
I eat roe when I go to visit my parents in the south of Spain – To be honest I don’t know from which fish it’s from! And also to be honest I don’t know why I forget about it when I’m back in Bcn. I’m going to look for it in the market! You’re right, they are ugly lol, but delicious. I loved your description of spring. When I was in NY it was the end of summer and the weather was still good. I would just love to be there in spring and experience all the seasonal awakenings. Enjoy your time with your brother! xx
Oh I’m glad that you like roe. I’m glad you had great weather in NY. This is a very special time of year. Thanks for the well wishes with my brother. Looking forward to it! Enjoy!