It’s March, and that means it’s shad roe season. Most Midwesterners will react to that news with something like "Huh?" And even among local foodies, we’re sure that large numbers of them haven’t tasted it. It’s only rarely found in local restaurants, and then as a March special, the way the late Herbie Balaban did. But we located it at Bob’s Seafood in University City.
A brief word of explanation—shad is an ocean fish that moves upstream into fresh water to spawn at this time of year. It’s a very bony fish, so it’s not eaten very much any more, but it once was very popular in both this country and northern Europe. The fish fatten up as they prepare to breed, so they’re at their most succulent now. Still, that boniness has put them off most menus. What remains popular among cognoscenti is the roe, which is, more or less, the caviar, the eggs.
Shad roe comes as a pair of attached sacs. (The sacs are rather delicate, and when handling them, try not to break them.) In American cooking, they’re usually sauteed in butter or served with bacon. I’ve had them several ways, and frankly always wondered what the fuss was about. The flavor is always described as "delicate", but it seemed to be more about the texture than flavor from what I’d eaten, and cooked, as well.
This weekend I came up with a preparation method that made a lot more sense. David Rosengarten, in The Dean & Deluca Cookbook, talks about steaming it wrapped in spinach bundles. I tried a semi-steam, without cutting up the roe and making bundles, and without spinach. I brought about 3/4 inch of water to boil in a small non-stick skillet. I laid the roe in it, kept the water at a simmer, and covered it. Using a wide spatula, I carefully turned it over after about three minutes, replaced the lid and checked it in another three minutes. I removed the lid, poked the roe gently with my finger to see if it had firmed up in the middle, and when it hadn’t, turned it again. When it was firm, a few minutes later, I removed it to a warm plate in the oven, scrambled some eggs at Joe’s request, and served it all forth with toasted English muffins.
Verdict: We both agreed it was a fine brunch and the best shad roe we’d ever had. The eggs didn’t offer as much texture contrast as a sunny side up pair would have. We’ll try that next time. I can also see shad roe as the main course of an elegant little lunch, followed by a small green salad and a light dessert.
-Ann