When I went to my local fishmonger recently, I noticed beside the glistening sets of shad roe a couple of unmarked plastic containers nestled in the crushed ice of the display case. One held white perch roe, I was told, and the other rockfish roe.
After years on the Mid-Atlantic coast, I have learned to love the ephemeral spring pleasure of shad roe. It had never occurred to me, however, that the roe (eggs) of other fish might be cooked and enjoyed as well.
The fishmonger said most fish roe gets thrown out because shoppers — like me — are unfamiliar with anything but shad roe. Spring fish, he said, are full of roe but most people say they don't want it.
It's not like it's a new idea. Fish roe has been relished at least since ancient Egypt, and was commonly eaten in the U.S. as recently as the 20th century. In a 1941 press release, for example, the U.S. Department of the Interior encouraged Americans to eat fish roe.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: National Public Radio.