Shad roe

Shad roe has always held a particular appeal to me because it was a favorite dish of Nero Wolfe, the fictional detective who got me interested in both food and mysteries. I suppose author Rex Stout picked on shad roe because it is an esoteric gourmet delicacy. Or maybe he just liked it himself.

It is certainly an acquired taste. Like sweetbreads, shad roe is vaguely repulsive-looking in both its raw (see below) and cooked states. I've not always been happy with my efforts at cooking shad roe. I think it's a bit tricky and I haven't had enough shad roe cooked by others to really know how I measure up.

I wandered into The Fishery yesterday because I was solo for supper. Shad roe has a short season in the spring and, like everything else this year, has arrived early. I bought one pair, which cookbooks tell you is enough for two people, but I don't think so. Total weight is 6 to 8 oz., and even though it is rich, half of that is a pretty small portion.

I turned to Mark Bittman's useful primer, Fish, for a basic recipe and settled on the variation with garlic butter, partly because the roe gets floured before sauteeing. So I dusted the roe in flour, sauteed 3 to 4 min. on each side in 2 Tbl. butter, removed and kept warm, put 2 more Tbl. butter in skillet, softened 1 tsp. minced garlic and squeezed in 2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice and drizzled over roe. I accompanied with boiled potatoes.

The roe had a nutty, subtly fishy taste that I liked. I may have slightly overcooked them because I think the texture could have been a little less dry. I may experiment again before the season is over.