Fish Roe

Fish roe consists of the eggs of vertebrate fish held together by a thin membranous sac. It is available only from female fish during the spawing season and is highly perishable. Freshwater roe is often breaded and fried, but the surrounding sac must be pierced first or it may explode during frying causing severe burns. A major drawback to fresh fish roe is that it stays fresh for only a day or two at the most; it is usually preserved in brine solution, which imparts a salty flavor, firms the roe, and extends its usable time. The roe sold in the unrefrigerated section of the supermarket has been pasteurized to extend its shelf life. Fish such as shad and herring from North Atlantic waters are popular roe sources, as are Pacific salmon and whitefish from the Great Lakes. Other roe sources include cod, carp, pike-perch, and gray mullet.

Caviar, which has a mystique surrounding it as a food of the very rich, is really just fish eggs. Its official definition will vary according to the country in which it is sold. In the United States and many other countries, caviar is the clean, salted fish eggs of any fish species. The label is required to list the particular type of fish serving as the caviar source.

In Europe, caviar is more narrowly defined by law as only the eggs of the Caspian Sea sturgeon. The most expensive, largest-grained caviar comes from the Beluga sturgeon. These fish can live for over 70 years and may grow to a length of 25 feet. Like chicken eggs, roe is very high in cholseterol – about 94 mg per tablespoon. It is also high in salt, but the best caviar is malassol, which in Russian means “little salt”. To protect the taste of caviar, it is served with a bone or shell spoon, because metal imparts an off-flavor. It is sometimes served on a neutral-tasting bread that has been toasted on one side, with the caviar being gently placed on the untoasted side.