Salmon roe is one of my favorite foods (and my husband and son share my love of those beautiful translucent little orange balls of briny goodness). And every time I post to Nourished Kitchen’s facebook page, extolling the many virtues of roe (and oh, there are many), I receive two reactions: disgust and unadulterated adoration. Of course, most of the folks disgusted by the idea of eating roe have yet to actually try it which I always find peculiar. How can you adopt such a strong and unyielding position without even minute experience?
This year, we decided to spend New Years with friends at their rough-and-tumble cabin about a mile outside of town. We packed up our warm clothes and five pounds of salmon roe in their skeins to smoke for the holiday. We began first by rubbing the skeins with salt and letting them sit for a bit: this helps the skeins to contract a bit and expel some of their liquid. When the smoker was ready, we brushed off the excess salt and transferred the skeins to the wire racks where they should smoke for about thirty to forty-five minutes. At first, the salted and smoked salmon roe is overpowering; that is, you couldn’t make a meal of it on its own, but roe isn’t typically meant to be a meal on its own so much as it is a complement to other dishes, and it complements them well. It’s a seasoning, really.
So we served it the next morning, on New Year’s day, over fried eggs and continued eating it at nearly every meal because it is such a remarkably beautiful food, and one that your body intelligently craves after the first taste. What we knew we couldn’t consume within the week we set into a dehydrator and dried – to be crumbled over winter squash or flash-fried kale as you might do with something like bottarga (another one of my culinary loves).
Why Salmon Roe is Good for You
I re-read Nutrition & Physical Degeneration recently. And as I thumbed through those rather dog-eared pages, cataloging exactly what the different peoples ate, it struck me that fish eggs played a critical role in the diets of the majority of peoples – even inland tribes with no easy access to the sea. Indeed, the peoples of the outer Hebrides, Alaskan natives, Native Americans of the northwest, the Melanesians, Polynesians, select African tribes, the people of the Torres strait and isolated Peruvians were all described as holding a sacred place for roe. Even those without easy access to the sea, like Peruvians living high in the Andes, went to great lengths to acquire dried roe which they reserved primarily for women (knowing that maternal intake of vitamin-rich foods helped to build the health of the next generation) and children.
Roe is a potent food, and one of the top foods for fertility along with other foods rich in both vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids like fermented cod liver oil, wild-caught fish or shellfish. A single ounce of roe, about one heaping tablespoon, contains 1086 mg omega-3 fatty acids – primarily in the forms of DHA and EPA. And if you think your ground flax and chia supply you enough, think again: the human body is notoriously inefficient at converting plant-based omega-3 fatty acids into useable forms of DHA and EPA. If you want the benefits, roe and wild-caught fish are your best choice. Beyond EPA and DHA, that single ounce of roe is also particularly rich in vitamins A, C, D, B6, B12, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium. It is a superfood in a way that makes trendy seeds and obscure Amazonian berries pale by comparison.
How to Serve Salmon Roe
To help boost fertility, my nutritionist recommends consuming roe several times a week. And it’s such a wonderful food, that I’ve no reluctance in complying. My favorite way to serve this salted and smoked roe is over eggs for breakfast where its briny and smoky flavor complements the creamy yolk beautifully. Good friends of mine, with whom we smoked this batch of roe, serve it over whole-grain sourdough crostini and sliced brie. The milder ikura (get it here) is nice in homemade sushi or even eaten by the spoonful. Regardless, salmon roe pairs well with eggs, cultured cream, dill and lemon or with seaweeds, fish and other seafoods. You can also use salted and smoked salmon roe in place of tarama in the classic Greek dip taramasalata.
Where to Find Salmon Roe
Finding fresh roe in their skeins to prepare this salted and smoked salmon roe recipe is challenging, at best. It seems few people have the knowledge or interest in eating roe or preparing their own caviar (aside from you, me and Mommypotamus) so much of the roe fishermen find ends up used as bait or thrown overboard. A sad, sad thing, no? What this means for you, though, is that unless you have an in with a salmon fisherman, chances are you won’t be able to find fresh roe in their skeins. Instead, you can get ikura or wild-caught salmon roe online. I buy it from these folks since they offer the best price I’ve seen, that is, when I’m not making my own.
Salted & Smoked Salmon Roe Recipe
unrefined sea salt, wild-caught salmon roe
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup unrefined sea salt (buy it online)
- 3 lbs wild-caught salmon roe in their skeins
special equipment:
method:
- Rinse the skeins of roe in a gentle stream of filtered water (you can find a good filter here). Pat them dry and dredge them lightly in unrefined sea salt. Set them in a pan to cure for about twenty to thirty minutes while you prepare the wood for smoking.
- Once the smoker is preheated, drain off any excess liquid from the skeins of roe and brush off any residual salt. Transfer the skeins to the smoker. Smoke for thirty to forty-five minutes. Remove from smoker and refrigerate. Serve this smoked roe as a seasoning or accompaniment to eggs, greens or other foods. If the texture of the skein’s membrane doesn’t suit you, you may slit the skein and scoop out the roe with a spoon.
NOTES: Once the roe has been salted and smoked, you can preserve it further by transferring it to a dehydrator (you can find a good one online) and dehydrating it at a low temperature for about 12 hours. Dried roe can be stored indefinitely. Dried roe is best served as a seasoning; that is, grate it or crumble it over fresh greens, pasta, into sauces, over fish and shellfish or onto sauteed or braised vegetables.
I’ve actually never had this before, but I love salmon, so I’m sure this will be good! It looks delicious!
Oooooh – thanks so much for the “where to find”. I stupidly purchased trout roe from a major grocery chain because I was craving it so much. And then read the label – HFCS, soy sauce and MSG…made me SO ANGRY.
I would kill for those eggs & smoked roe right now.
fantastic! this is just what i was looking for. another way of preparing all the salmon roe that i bring home from my fishing trips. jenny, if you are interested i have a simple and delicious recipe (russian) that i use for preparing caviar from fresh salmon roe. my russian wife and 4 year old daughter can’t get enough of it and are forlorn when salmon season comes to an end. it’s such wonderful sacred food. thank you.
here is the recipe:
Many people aren’t big on salmon caviar. It’s an acquired taste, no doubt. But if you like sushi, chances are you will like fresh caviar. This is not the over-salted sticky stuff you buy in stores, or that is served up as “ikura” in sushi bars. That stuff smells and tastes like salmon roe cured for fishing bait. Fresh caviar is nothing like that. If you’ve never had it fresh–within 2 or three days of being made–you owe it to yourself to seek it out. And of all the caviar available to us here in the PNW, I consider chinook salmon and steelhead (an ocean going rainbow trout) to be the best of all.
What you’ll need:
Smooth cutting board
Spoon
Large mixing bowl
Saucepan
1.5 cups salt (no iodine)
Cheese cloth
Strainer
Now for the time consuming work: separating the eggs from the skein. Place a skein egg-side down on a smooth cutting board. Using a spoon held upside down, gently pull two to three eggs at a time away from the connecting tissue. Russians say it takes a woman’s touch, because guys tend to be too rough and impatient. You’ll see why it’s easy to get impatient once you get into it. Picking caviar is a slow, tedious process. As you pull the eggs away from the skein, look closely to make sure the eggs are free of strings–little filaments of tissue that can cling to each egg. Most of the time the eggs will separate without difficulty, with only a few stringy parts left to clean up before salting. Occasionally, though, you will come across a skein that is so stringy, it’s not worth the time it would take to clean it up. Stringy caviar tastes fine, but is not as appealing as clean caviar. Plan on spending an hour or more separating the eggs from one steelhead.
Before you begin making caviar, you will need to prepare a super-saturated salt solution. Place 2 quarts of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add all the salt and stir until dissolved. Turn off heat and take saucepan outside to cool.
Once the eggs are all separated, go through them one more time to clean up any missed strings. The cleaner the caviar, the more satisfying. Once you feel good about your eggs, slide them into the large mixing bowl. Go outside and bring in the salt solution. If it is still warm to the touch, put it in the freezer or fridge until it is room-temperature or cooler. Once cooled, pour the saltwater into the bowl full of eggs, leaving any residual salt in the bottom of the saucepan.
Stir the eggs in the saltwater and take a look at the clock. You will only leave the eggs in the saltwater for 5 minutes–very important! Take one minute to cut a 12″ square of cheese cloth and lay it down in a strainer. I usually double it up to keep the mesh tight. Stir the eggs a couple more times until the 5 minutes are up. Then, slowly pour the eggs and saltwater into the strainer. Finally, gather the edges of the clothand tie them off lightly so you can hang the bag to drain.
Let drain for 10 minutes, do not rinse, then serve. Serving suggestion: thin-sliced sourdough baguette, a little soft butter, and a healthy scoop of caviar.
gusto!
Is there a difference between roe and caviar? I thought they were interchangeable, but the way you worded some things is making me reconsider.
jana,
as far i i know caviar implies that the “roe” or “eggs” have been processed to some extent. if one chose to eat them raw,
and i don’t know if any cultures have done this, i would not consider it caviar.
Miguel’s right: caviar is processed (usually by salt curing) and it’s eaten outside of the skein.
So, then, the links to the I love blue sea site where they sell “salmon roe” is actually caviar? Or would I need to cure it?
It is already cured. It is fresh caviar.
jenny,
i thought folks might be interested in seeing the process described above. here are some photos of us making fresh salmon caviar.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildfishstudios/6667774619/in/photostream
Beautiful
I feel so fortunate that my husband started salmon fishing last year. He caught two female Coho salmon with a ton of eggs! I washed the roe and froze it in small servings. I’ve been eating it once a week, most of my pregnancy and am now eating it daily now that I’m 8 months pregnant. I also blend some into my daughter and I smoothie everyday! If I add fruit, you can’t taste the roe at all
. My recipe for the smoothie is here if anyone is interested – http://thecoconutmama.com/2011/12/my-pregnancy-super-food-smoothie-with-salmo-roe/.
jenny,
here is an updated link to the caviar photos. sorry.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildfishstudios/sets/72157628795422577/
thanks,
miguel
Jenny, what a great post – your posts really seem to coincide what what we need
We were looking for a good source for seafood and roe just the other day and now this post! Loving the perpetual broth as well. We’ve had it every day since you posted it and today even the 3 yr old drank it of her own accord at breakfast (before we had to remind/ask/coax her). Now we just need to get another (bigger!) crockpot. Thanks a lot!
Miguel, what a cool and well written recipe and beautiful photos! I saved them as well! Thank you!
This looks great. I love roe and would love to be able to eat more of it! but it’s so hard to get where I live. Very occasionally I am able to get cod roe or herring roe but I don’t find these 2 that nice tasting. I think the problem is I don’t know how to prepare them! Have you done cod or herring roe? Do you have recipes for them? I struggle to find recipes online for cod roe. Herring roe can be used to make taramasalata but I don’t know a gaps friendly recipe.
Just reminding people that salmon roe is NOT for alot of those with any gout symptoms. Roe along with citrus juices can cause a huge flare up, roe will cause a huge gout flare up in my otherwise symptom free husband if he injests just one teaspoon!
We found this out the hard way, so I am just letting others know, fish in general is not good for alot of gout sufferers that have the type of gout that is not related to being overweight, smoker etc. If you eat roe and later in the day feel any aches, that is one of the warning signs that you should not attempt to eat more as it will get worse each time you eat fish or roe.
The upside of this is that I get all the roe!
I make mine quite differently, my way of smoking is the native way not the new way, I think the old way gives a nicer smokier flavor but it must be watched alot more while being processed. but this is a great way for beginners to smoke things.
So how do you do it “the old way?”
Jenny,
I’ve been swearing off seafood from the PNW/Alaska ever since the nuclear accident in Japan. Has this situation not concerned you or have you found that your source has addressed this concern somehow? I’ve tried to find some sustainable seafood from the Atlantic or even somewhere in European waters but I’m at a loss. Can you make a suggestion?
Thank You,
Sofia Grogan
Hi Sofia,
I live in Alaska…born here….and salmon is big business and vital to our food economy both family and business. Many oragniazatons have been testing the salmon coming home to Alaskan rivers and there are no isoptopes in them, no contamination. I too had concerns, but it depends on where the salmon circulate when they are ocean bound. Apparently the ones comng home to Kenai and Kasilof and Chitna and Valdez are not going close enough to Japan to get contaminated. You can check with WA and BC Fish and Game for research reports on radioactive isotopes in salmon fisheries. We are still eating out salmon with confidence.
So much fun, so easy to make, and so delicious! Thank you for the opportunity to cook and work with you Jen. I’m enjoying the dehydrated salmon roe on salads, and still dreaming about the roe we had on the eggs for breakfast. It’s the closest thing I’ve had to lox or Nova since I moved to Crested Butte from Miami. You are an inspiration!
Peace,
Justin
There is no doubt in my mind as to the flagrant health benefits of the joys of the sea. However, the more I read about this incontrovertible fact, the more I worry about my personal health in the future. As I understand it, the superiority of fish lies in its potent content of DHA and EPA. Considering my severe allergy to everything from the sea, feasting on fish and roe isn’t an option if I want to live to see another day. Supplementing with fish oil or the like, is as unfeasible, as I am likely to react badly to it. Furthermore, I am also allergic to eggs. Thirdly, grass-fed meats are extremely hard to come by and consequently, terribly expensive. I find myself despairing – it’s almost as if my body does not want any omega 3s. I try to eat plenty of the flax you decried, but find myself at a dead end. What am I supposed to do? Do you reckon it’s a good idea to supplement with omega 3s from algae? Thanks!
/Chris
Here in Australia we have only 2 choices when it come to Salmon Roe, pastuerised imported roe fom north America, or farmed raw local roe. So far I’ve been going for the pastuerised wild roe for an occaisionally fix. What do you think would be the best option nutritionally?
After looking at your site, and not seeing any mention, I am just curious what credentials you have? Are you a nutritionist? A registered dietitian?
I would love to try this. I heard that to make sushi with fresh-caught salmon it is necessary to flash freeze it or freeze it to a specific temperature so that the worms inherent in the fillet don’t come wiggling out. While I love sushi, that idea skeebed me out a bit. If I’m catching the salmon whose roe I will be eating, are there any necessary steps such as flash freezing that need to be done before preparing the roe?
freezing will alter the flavor and texture in a negative way. there is no need to freeze the roe as parasites are not present in them. they are quickly perishable so just keep the roe in ziplock bag on ice (24 hrs max) until you can prepare how you prefer or as in the above posts.
Great! Thanks. Now I can’t wait until fishing season!
i love mixing this with a little mayo, raw tuna, sriracha and topping it on creamy avocado…mmmmmmm…
So I’ve been looking for a local source of fresh roe and so far I am getting the impression that it is illegal to sell in California. I traveled to Oregon last week and I could only find roe that was being sold as bait… it was described like this:
“High Quality Fresh Frozen King salmon roe/eggs. These are process by Instant Quick Freeze by freezing skeins individually and then wrapped in Plastic Wrap. LIMITED QUANTITY $9.00 per lb plus shipping.”
What do you think? Would you eat it? Do you think it’s like raw milk and they’re not allowed to sell it for human consumption. The seller (a bait shop) was not very forthcoming with extra information.
Perhaps other roe that is local to where you all live is just as good? Salmon roe is a staple fod for people in Alaska, but that is because salmon is our most abundant fish. I would imagine in the past, people used the fish rose that was local to their area, so the Inca’s in Peru would have used dried fish eggs that they obtained through trading with coastal people that lived on the coast of Peru and it wouldn’t have been salmon roe. So instead of trying to find salmon roe, is there a way to find roe from the abundant fish in your area? My grandpa used to fish regularly for perch in Michigan and eat the roe fried in butter with his eggs and then eat the fish flech for supper that evening. He died at 96.
Great blog! I love salmon raw or grilled, but have never been lucky enough to enjoy roe, I will seek it out having been inspired by your post
Thanks
If you buy in bulk from Loki Fish (www.lokifish.com) you can get a better price than I Love Blue Sea. I’ve purchased from them before — they ship promptly. There’s also a coupon code here that I’ve used a couple times: http://greenfertility.blogspot.com/2010/03/loki-fish-jerky-omega-3-snack.html..
My husband and I have lived in Alaska for the past five years, but we have not taken advantage of dip-netting season yet. Up until last summer, we didn’t have enough freezer space/pantry space for hundreds of frozen or canned salmon. Now that we have a larger house, and an enormous chest freezer, I can’t wait to stock up on fresh salmon and moose this year. I’ve wondered what to do with the roe, once we actually have the salmon; I knew it is nutrient dense, but I wasn’t sure how to make it taste good. I’ve never been a fan of fish (or seafood in general), but I’m willing to overcome those dislikes for the benefit of my family. I’m glad I found this post, it has given me ideas about what to do with the roe we’ll soon have.