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. Among the budding flowers and trees, you also have sprouting ramps, fiddle head ferns, soft shell crabs and shad roe. But only for a few weeks. It’s impossible not to think of fertility this time of year: fertile creativity, fertile relationships, fertile sea and earth. Right now, when shad fish, a member of the herring family, migrate upriver to spawn, they’re culled not only for their bony, white fillets but for their crimson roe, which grows inside cleft-shaped egg sacs, one pair of lobes per female. It’s actually quite a delicacy, right up there with the muscle behind the eye of a brook trout (I know this from my days in my job after school as fish monger). Last week the fish monger told me I had missed the shad roe completely since I hadn’t pounced when I first saw them, deterred by their similarity in appearance to wet lungs. But then I saw them again and quickly rose to the challenge before they disappeared for the season. To prepare it correctly I found an incredibly rich, delicious and sophisticated shad roe recipe from Ken and Jody, where they also discuss the interesting history of how shad and its roe came into the American diet and the role it played in the American War of Independence (talk about a couple that knows their food).
Not having done this before and knowing how precious a set of roe is, I had to treat it with the utmost respect. It was a personal accomplishment to finally use butter in my cooking. The recipe calls for slowly pan-frying the lobes in a butter bath with caramelized shallots and a little garlic until they’re firm to the touch then seared on one side until a dark golden brown. Then you gild it with the browned butter and capers, squeeze out the juice of a lemon, sprinkle with cilantro and pour over the roe. This recipe is a keeper.
This is a ridiculously luxurious meal without too much fuss: the shad roe is wonderfully meaty, slightly livery –less so if you give a salt bath overnight, which drains some of the blood–(thank you for that tip, Ken!), and with a deeply savory, slightly salty taste made even richer by the browned butter. It’s also so satisfying that one set of shad roe is enough for two people. I felt like royalty eating what was once, like lobster, considered a pauper’s food. I will make this my new spring tradition to welcome the bounty of the fertile season.
Shad Roe with Brown Butter, Shallots and Capers
Adapted from the extremely talented Ken and Jody of the Garum Factory. They also have a few other incredible roe recipes here and here.
Ingredients:
- 1 set shad roe, about 12 ounces
- Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons rinsed capers
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½ pound small red bliss potatoes (I actually used sweet potato in my recipe because of allergies, but I think the red ones or fingerlings would be wonderful.
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs–chives, parsley, chervil
Directions:
Make a solution of 1½ quarts water and 1½ tablespoons salt and stir until dissolved. Add the roe and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, drain and pat dry. Combine the butter and shallots in a large saute pan over the lowest heat and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds, then add the roe and baste with the butter.
Cover all but 1 inch of the pan with a lid and continue to cook over low heat, basting with the fat every 3 minutes or so for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the roe, and cook 5 minutes on low, continuing to baste the roe. Increase the heat to medium high to sear the outside, about 2 minutes. The lobes should be just cooked so they’re still springy to the touch with tender opaque eggs.
Transfer to a cutting board or plate, separate the lobes with your hands or a knife and trim off any excess membrane. Arrange on 2 warm plates.
Add the lemon, capers and cilantro to the pan off the heat, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary and then spoon the pan sauce over the roe.
While the roe is cooking wash and scrub the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add salt, bring to a boil and then decrease the heat to low. Simmer until just done, 5-8 minutes. Drain, cut in half and then return to the pan and toss with the chopped herbs.
Serve the roe with the potatoes.
This is quite rich. All you need in addition is a simple green salad.
Wow. Never heard of shad fish, but this sounds delicious, a bit pate like I guess. Rich and luxurious, I bet. Making me hungry…
Thanks. Yes. It’s kind of cool. You cut into the sac and the are tons of little white eggs. It sounds trying, but it’s really rich and wonderful.
wow, brown butter made everyting taste better!!!!
It really did, Dedy. I loved it!
Very interesting an informative. Not a fish i know well or one that is available in my “neck of the woods”,. but I have heard of it.The sauce would work well for many types of fish fillets.
I was thinking that. It almost felt very french to me. I can’t eat like this all the time. I need to maintain my girlish figure!
Excellent – I don’t think I’ve ever had shad roe – I’ll have to look out for it …and as luck would have it, someone is opening a new wet fish shop opposite my house!
Omg, MD. This is perfectly up your alley. Fish egg sac and membrane. Visible veins. It’s all you!
The shad has obviously seen me coming 😉
Had never heard of this but I love roe so if I track it down will definitely give it a go. Your photos are beautful!
Gracias, Chica! You would love this!
Cilantro, Capers & Ginger…So interesting!!!!!
Totally new for me. Nice to see you here! Congrats on moving your site!
Nice job, Amanda! Looks lovely. I’m getting hungry looking at your pictures. One minor correction: it played a role in the American War of Independence, not the Civil War. Lovely post. Ken
Grr. I’ll update it. Thanks. Darn multi tasking .. reading, cooking and drinking all at once. Thanks so much for your guidance.
…and photographing..Don’t forget the photography. I’m impressed. Ken
P.S. Excellent – and clever – macro shot of the butter and capers. 🙂 Ken
Anything not to show wet lungs 🙂
Again, out-cooking me 😉 This looks amazingly ambitious and also just plain amazing. Wow and yum.
Incredible! I need to order shad roe at a restaurant, because I’ll never find it where I live. Looks beautiful!
That’s too bad, but you must get it soon. You will love it!
This is as close to art as fish prep gets. My young ones refuse to eat roe. What a shame.
Thank you, Connor. That is high praise. I kind of agree with you. It takes a delicate touch. Your young one will get there maybe 🙂 With a gourmande as a father, how can he not?
I’m so excited to see things like ramps popping up in the local markets. I love all the foods that you can only get in spring!
So do I! It really is something so special!
Such beautiful colors!
Thanks. That’s what I love about spring.
Beautiful, Amanda. That is a bountiful and fertile table to celebrate spring. I have never heard of shad roe before. This recipe looks delicious and let’s face it, browned butter makes even the best dishes better. 🙂 I’m going to have to ask for this when I go the fish market next time.
Thank you, Ngan. I really enjoyed it. I felt so french taking my time bathing it in butter. 😉
Wow, Amanda. I don’t think shad roe is to be found on this side of the Atlantic, but this sure looks and sounds delicious. Hmmm brown butter and capers with anything from the sea is delicious! I’ve never eaten roe this way, I am not sure how I would like it (I am worried about the texture), but I know my mom would devoure this instantly!
Oh yes. I can see your mom liking it. A few people asked about the texture. It’s different from fish, but not too questionable. I’ve seen people get disgusted while watching peddle eat lobster life barbarians. I think shad is specific to the north eastern us. So are ramps. I’m so glad that I finally made something uniquely regional! I hope you’re doing welland that your cookies were a hit in Nimes as was your presentation!
Your whole meal is so bright and colorful, what a beautiful spread!
Thanks so much, Mary Frances. It is so springy!
I used to never cook with butter until Mr. H. came into my life and insisted that some things must be made with butter for it to taste better. You’ve been a fishmonger Amanda? How cool is that! I always have plenty of questions for my fishmongers, so if you had been one of them you had better be prepared 😉 I adore roe (though my recipes have been more simple). Your recipe looks utterly delicious! Besos
I think cooking with butter, when not baking, is definitely worth it every now and then. I wonder if I could answer your fish questions! I do find that certain fish can’t be found in the US that is common in Europe and vice versa. A lot of them are regional…or if it does exist it has a different name. There are actually international commissions working on the problem because the fishing industry has asked for some uniform way of categorizing fish. Julia Child actually made an attempt to reconcile France and American fish through her research, which was an amazing undertaking. Interesting, right?
Well thats one of the problems I have, I’ve lived in so many countries that I get utterly confused with which fish are called what. I mean even within Spain different regions call them in different ways, and then in Barcelona they are in Catalan just to make things worse. I didn’t know Julia Child wanted to do that, I think it’s excellent of her!
But don’t worry, my questions are usually easy, I often ask if this or that part is edible, and what ways would the lovely fishmonger recommend to cook it 🙂
Lol. Yes. I can handle those questions. I can only imagine what living all over has done to your fish vocabulary l
Okay, so you are less afraid of butter than I thought. 🙂 I love this! I’ve never really tried brown butter in a savory context… other than cooking gnocchi in butter that just happens to end up browning a little I guess. I can see it pairing wonderfully with seafood though. And I’ve never heard of or tasted shad roe before (unless I’ve maybe eaten it in Japan, under a different name?? Not sure, though…). Anyway, everything about this looks lovely — including that salad. I love the presentation and your photos, too.
Thanks so much, Allison. I am afraid of butter, but I’m learning. Shad roe may only be available in the Northeastern US. But it is good and I think you’d love it. If you’re ever in NYC in the spring, I’ll make you some 😉
Sounds like a deal! 🙂 I love that you used to be a fish monger. That right there is qualification enough to be a professional food-blogger…
Ha! The stories I could tell about what goes on at the Fulton fish market at 3am. ….
Wow Amanda! This is something I would never in my wildest dreams cook up and I love that you did! I love this post because it really is not common and yet a delicacy. I can just imagine sitting down and taking that first bite and feeling like you are royalty. 🙂 And I am sure it is completely different than Ikura, which I can not seem to get out of my mind right now. Your photographs are stunning. I wonder if I could find it over here on the West Coast.
I really love your thoughtful comments. I was excited to be able to cook something completely different. There is something about seasonal seafoods that really just make you feel like a part of nature. Cooking it like this made me feel like a part of tradition because like you this isn’t how I normally cook. Thanks so much.
I take it that the market isn’t open for business at 3am! Ahem, the mind boggles.
Do like the idea of this sauce. Even though I’ve started using butter in baking I very seldom use it in savoury – apart from mash. And I’ve never used brown butter before, partly as I can’t stand the smell of it. But I can imagine it would be great with white fish. Especially with ginger, shallots and garlic. Hmm, I’d even use the coriander. 🙂
I think you could totally incorporate it into your comfort zone, Johnny. The fish market is always open. It’s amazing.
Ah, you mean it’s open to the public at that time? I’ve only ever been to Manhattan twice, and loved it. But you don’t get to know a city as exciting as New York so well with just two visits. Outside of Paris I’d really like to live there. Hmm, how about both…I can dream!
Yes! We can do a house swap! I won’t leave traces of cilantro in your kitchen.