Wrap it in Bacon! .. and a Roe question.

[Pav]

As a contribution I have recently been cooking my whole fish wrapped in bacon. Simple! You like it or you don't .. try it!

and a question re., ROE.

Can anyone help me identify the types of Roe I may find in UK fish and what I can do with it! I am sure I have thrown away a lot of flatfish Roe over the years and I understand it is good eating?

 

[podge]

Pav anything wrapped in bacon is fine with me.
As for the roe question i would guess that Foxfish would be yer man as if it swims he can cook it.

 

[foxfish]

I must say I am not keen on any fish cooked whole unless it is finished off nice & crispy.
I dont dispute your bacon wrapped fish would be a delight for some its just that I like nice clean fillets that fit on a plate, no bones, no eyes no fins just flesh!
Roe - well the most obvious one we come across would be mackerel, you will find two distinct types, the milt from the males & the eggs from the females.
Both are delicious fried in not olive oil or much better in hot mackerel oil.
I dont come across much roe nowadays because I dont gut my fish preferring to fillet with guts in place & discard the frame back to the sea.
I did eat some sole roe last year & I used to enjoy pollock roe too.
I have a mate who swears smoked bass roe is the food of gods.
I figure you could eat most fish roe but I wouldn't fancy mullet much!
Finally, here in Guernsey we are allowed to land lobster in berry, their tiny individual eggs "look" amazing in a thermidor sauce!

 

[Old Man Dave]

Pav, you mentioned flatfish roe.

The main 2 species I catch are plaice and sole. The roe begins forming in late august and is fully formed by their breeding time in late winter/early spring. However as breeding takes place offshore you will mainly see fully formed roe in october time before the offshore migration before Christmas. Sole seem to be a month later than plaice.

Brill and turbot are similar but they are not a common fish inshore. Flounder I really don't know about as we see almost none over here.

I have seen big bass full of roe only in March/April. Mullet have roe in April/May over here.

The sole in the pic above was caught in the first week of January 2009.


Dave.

 

[Pav]

thanks. At the moment I guesse I tend to gut and get rid of the mucky stuff as quickly as possible. I will be paying more attention this year.

 

[devondave]

Grey Mullet roe is used to make the world-famous Bottaga .
Mainly associated with Sardinian and Sicilian cuisine , it's also made with Swordfish and Tuna roe , but Grey Mullet roe is the most prized .
It sells for around £120 a kilo ( don't throw it away ) .
Massaged by hand to eliminate air , then cured in sea salt or air cured for a few weeks , then coated in beeswax to preserve it .
You can grate it on to pasta with melted butter , garlic and parsley .
Also used as a flavouring like Anchovies ( although a rather expensive one ) .
Or sliced and served on a crostini with a slice of raw garlic and drizzled with good olive oil .
If you like strong sea food , Anchovies , sea Urchin , brown crab meat etc , you will love bottaga , also called poor mans caviar .
As for other roe's , I would suggest trying them all to see which ones you like , you might like the milt of some species but not the roe and vice versa , try lightly frying in butter , squeeze of lemon , pepper , parsley , if you don't like it , so what , if you do , great free food .

Regards ,
Dave .

 

[Old Man Dave]

Most fish roe I have seen is pale to deep orange colour. There are often prominant dark veins evident in the roe sac. Mullet however has a realy bright yellow roe with black patches (possibly veins/blood supply). Vet dramatic looking.

Dave.

 

[sunfish]

Most fish roe I have seen is pale to deep orange colour. There are often prominant dark veins evident in the roe sac. Mullet however has a realy bright yellow roe with black patches (possibly veins/blood supply). Vet dramatic looking.

Dave.

Dramatic looking and pretty big too for the size of the fish. I've had a go at the roes of all the fish I catch, including mullet. All edible. The mullet roe and bass roe both have a pretty distinctive flavour. You need to make your own mind up on it. Mackeral and herring roe are nice.

 

[spaghetti]

First: everything should taste of bacon!
Second: mullet roe (bottarga) is a true delicacy of italian cuisine when dried and salted. It costs quite a fortune: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Bottarga-Muggine-Grey-Mullet-Roe/dp/B000C1U83Q]Amazon.com: Bottarga di Muggine (Grey Mullet Roe) - From Cabras - Grated: Gourmet Food[/ame]

Do it yourself takes a spcific process for salting and seasoning that is not easy if you don't know how to do it (risk of eggs degenerating during process if not properly done, and harm your health when eaten), that's why I never ventured to try doing it myself. But I eat it quite often. Mullet roe!

 

[Pav]

when did amazon stop selling books!