Help! I have a gallon of roe . . .

[kathleen24]

Fresh salmon roe, that is.

Beautiful stuff. I've always thrown away in the past, but ran a search; apparently full of Vit D, K2, lovely fat, etc. Natives in Andes are said to have carried dried eggs back up into the mountains so pregnant women could have access to the nutrients. Would like to preserve, use, but the saltiness of caviar is off-putting.

I've seen mention of freezing, but no specifics on how to. Remove membrane first, wash, vacuum seal?

Sorry if this is a repeat--was not able to find salmon roe via this.

Also, any good recipes for roe?

Also looking for good brines for smoking salmon. Most of the ones I've heard ("it's to die for, and a secret . . . ") have sugar in them.

Thanks!

[Nancy LC]

I think most of the brine stays in the brine, not the fish. There's a thread here about charcuterie where I think this is discussed.

[Judynyc]

OMG...lucky you....have you ever had Taramousalata? :yum:
Its whipped salmon roe with oil...into a lovely mousse! I'm sure there are recipes for it on the net if you google

...I just love the stuff and can easily overeat it so I can't keep it around too much. :o

[capmikee]

Ok, Kathleen, I'm officially jealous! Salmon roe is soooo good!

I'm afraid I don't know how to dry roe, but that would probably be the most effective way to preserve it with all the nutrients.

I would suggest you not worry about the saltiness - caviar can be used in small enough quantities that the salt is no longer an issue.

Here's my taramosalata recipe:

1 Tbsp roe
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

Measurements are approximate. If the roe is not already salted, you will need to add some salt.

Whisk roe and lemon juice together. Whip in olive oil, starting with a few drops and adding in a thin stream as it begins to emulsify.

Adjust quantities to taste: Salt will cut the bitterness of the oil, lemon juice will counteract saltiness, fishiness, and bitterness, and the oil will counteract the acidity of the lemon juice. Adding more oil will make it thicker, adding more lemon juice will make it thinner. I like it at the consistency of salad dressing. In fact, that's how I use it: as salad dressing. I also like it on hamburgers and carpaccio.

I've never tried dried salmon roe, but fresh salmon roe is incredibly juicy, like eating tiny grapes. Lemon juice really enhances the flavor and the juiciness.

[kathleen24]

Wow, that sounds terrific! Mooseburger (my favorite) is on the menu tonight, so if I haven't collapsed in a heap on the floor by that point (a measly eight (8) fish left to process, and here I dawdle) I will try this recipe, for which I thank you heartily. How long does it keep? (or is that a silly question?) Is the roe chemically cooked by the lemon juice? Can you make this w/frozen and thawed eggs (I have a *lot* of this stuff).

I don't have a dehydrator, but I do have a borrowed smoker. I wonder how roe would smoke . . . I wonder how many Tbsp in two gallons (and counting) of roe . . . I wonder if you'd leave it in the sac to smoke it . . . hickory or mesquite? . . .

me, wondering . . .

Thank you, Nancy, for the charcuterie thread; never heard of this . . . but sounds way fun.

Judy, thank you for the response. Your enthusiasm has me salivating for something I've never had.

capmikee, I just noticed the Weston Price plan in your stats; never heard of him until I googled roe yesterday, and now I'm seeing him everywhere (funny how that works). That's what got me interested in pursuing this.

A sense a culinary adventure in the making . . .

[capmikee]

You might as well try freezing a lot of the roe - it's easy, and what have you got to lose? I think smelt roe can be frozen. There's a chance that they'll burst, but I think it's a chance worth taking when you have that much; you can probably still do something with them even if they do.

As for how long the taramosalata keeps, I would say about a week. I don't think I use enough lemon juice to really cook it. I've noticed that the flavor changes after 4 or 5 days - it gets sort of fishier. It doesn't seem like it's gone off, but I like it better before that point.

Since you have so much, you might as well quadruple the recipe. You might want to use an electric mixer or a blender because otherwise that's a lot of whisking! I recently discovered that the whisk attachment on my hand blender works well, but only if I do it in a jar, not a bowl.

There are 256 tablespoons in a gallon.

I'll try to remember to look in Ruhlman & Polcyn when I get home, just in case they have anything about smoking roe.

In the meantime, try a spoonful of roe with salt and lemon juice as a topping on everything... and tell us what you discover!

[Nancy LC]

I just have to ask... where did this gallon of roe come from?

[kathleen24]

Umm . . . 240+ pounds of red salmon that had other plans for the week, but swam into a net instead . . . carcasses are making their way to my freezer as fast as I am able (I am hiding up here right now while dd cuts fish--I think I'll keep her).

Borrowed a smoker, want to try that, but. It's a lot of fish. Was only planning on freezing 4 of them whole. [Cackling laughter, stage right]

Back to the processing plant . . .

[Nancy LC]

Do you own and operate a fishing fleet? :)

[kathleen24]

There are 256 tablespoons in a gallon.


So 1 gallon of roe, juice of 128 lemons . . . :lol:

Okay, this is me really going back to the fish

[Nancy LC]

Rather than throwing all that roe out, I'd at least try to freeze it.

[kathleen24]

Do you own and operate a fishing fleet? :)

Nope, just me being flippant about the processing plant; my kitchen has been a work zone since yesterday. I drove to the coast earlier this week and purchased the critters from a fisherman who is licensed to sell it directly. Very, very nice quality.