Shad Roe (Bear's Favorite Food)

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Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
Group Lead
Sep 12, 2009
45,279
18,182
Macungie, PA
Shad Roe (Bear's Favorite Food)

Got a call from one of my spies on Sunday---"Hey John, They got Shad Roe at Giant!"

Bears Love Shad Roe !
So, off I go to Giant on Monday, to check it out.
My closest "Giant" had some nice looking Shad Roe sets, for $9.99 per set.
I ask the old guy working there, "How many you got?"
He says, "How many do you want?"
I replied, "8 or 9 sets would be nice".
He removes the container & counts them---"Seven sets---Do you want all seven?--- I'll only charge you for 6 sets"
So 7 sets it is.
I haven't had any for nearly two years, since I bought 25 sets from a restaurant wholesaler for $7.50 per set.
My son wanted a set, so I gave him one set, I prepped one set for me, and I blanched the other 5 sets for freezing.
So yesterday morning I put one set in salt water (in fridge) to draw the blood out.
Then after about 4 hours, drained the water, flipped the set over, and salted again in fresh cold water.
Then 1 hour previous to Dinner, I drained & rinsed, and put it in ice water for an hour.

There are many ways of preparing Shad Roe, but this is the way I did this set.
Remove any unwanted connective tissue between sacs & separate the pair.
Rinse well, and very gently.
Dry well with paper towels, and coat lightly with flour.
Fry up a pan full of Smoked Belly Bacon.
Remove Bacon to drain, and replace the Bacon with the Shad Roe, in the hot Bacon grease, on Med/Hi heat.
After 4 or 5 minutes, gently flip Roe over for another 4 or 5 minutes.
I don't like them pink inside, but much longer in the pan will turn the millions of tiny little eggs into little rubber balls.
You have to use a lid or screen, when frying, and don't turn the heat up too high, or the eggs will be exploding like C4 !
The hot little balls will hit you in the face, or even stick to the ceiling!!!
Remove from pan, and serve with the bacon and whatever else you want.
Many people like lemon slices with it.

Thanks for looking,

Bear

Left Click to zoom in!

Seven sets for the price of 6:
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Seven sets rinsed and drying:
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Close-up MMMMmmmmmmmm:
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Five sets blanched & ready for freezing.
Notice how eggs came out through surface at a lot of places.
This is because they were not handled properly prior to being sold.
The 25 sets I got from the wholesaler had none of these holes or cuts from handling:
DSC02005.jpg


One set soaking in salt water (connective tissue still intact):
DSC02008.jpg


Frying up a bunch of my Bacon:
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One separated set of Shad Roe frying in smoked bacon grease:
DSC02012.jpg


My Dinner:
Shad Roe (Notice I sliced a piece open, so you could see some of the "Millions" of Shad eggs inside)
Fried Bearcarver Bacon
A chunk of reheated leftover CSRs
Roasted Red Taters
DSC02018.jpg
 
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Well, once again I am amazed by what I learn on this forum. I will admit to not knowing anything about Shad roe but they look interesting. Similar to caviar I'm assuming?
 
Well, once again I am amazed by what I learn on this forum. I will admit to not knowing anything about Shad roe but they look interesting. Similar to caviar I'm assuming?


I never ate caviar (raw fish???).

The best way I can describe this stuff, would be to say, if you like fried or broiled fish, this is about 10 times as good---And no bones!

I was weaned on this stuff. If you want to just try a little, fry up a little sac of bluegill roe---golden brown.

Sucker Roe is even better than Shad Roe, because the eggs are finer.

Bass eggs are good too.

Fried Trout eggs & fried Salmon eggs?----Yuck! (IMO)

Bear
 
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Learn something new everyday! I'd give it a try, but I've never seen it around here. I love lobster roe! I always buy female live lobsters when I get them, sometimes the roe is in them. By the way that plate you put together is a Cardiologists nightmare, couldn't you at least put a piece of broccoli on there?Thanks for sharing, Bear
 
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I never ate caviar (raw fish???).

The best way I can describe this stuff, would be to say, if you like fried or broiled fish, this is about 10 times as good---And no bones!

I was weaned on this stuff. If you want to just try a little, fry up a little sac of bluegill roe---golden brown.

Sucker Roe is even better than Shad Roe, because the eggs are finer.

Bass eggs are good too.

Fried Trout & Salmon eggs?----Yuck! (IMO)

Bear
Thanks for the tips. Caviar=sturgeon roe, best eaten on a cracker with freezer cold vodka shots...lol. Salmon eggs=bait in these parts. Smoked trout is pretty decent but every cat in the area will be following you for days. If I eat that ever again GF says I havta sleep on the couch.
 
 
Thanks for the tips. Caviar=sturgeon roe, best eaten on a cracker with freezer cold vodka shots...lol. Salmon eggs=bait in these parts. Smoked trout is pretty decent but every cat in the area will be following you for days. If I eat that ever again GF says I havta sleep on the couch.
 
I better fix that---I didn't mean fried trout is yuck---I meant Fried Trout eggs is yuck, like fried Salmon eggs.

We use Salmon eggs for bait on this end of PA too.

Bear
 
Learn something new everyday! I'd give it a try, but I've never seen it around here. I love lobster roe! I always buy female live lobsters when I get them, sometimes the roe is in them. By the way that plate you put together is a Cardiologists nightmare, couldn't you at least put a piece of broccoli on there?Thanks for sharing, Bear
You catch plenty of Gills & Bass. Try frying a couple small sacs of their eggs up---just when they start turning golden brown & hot inside.

You can flour them or corn meal them too.

Watch out for the explosions!

I wanted to put some broccoli on my plate, but I ran out of room. I'll have two helpings of broccoli tonight to make up for it.

I had to get rid of that last bit of CSRs.

Thanks Al,

Bear
 
can't stand the stuff! maybe it's the texture or the fact that i worked at a steakhouse that sold lots of them. we did it pretty much the same way you do and we served it with 2 rashers of bacon.
 
this is definitely something new... But it looks really good! I have eaten a lot of different things and this is definitely something I would try.
 
I guess I can try it with cappie eggs. I know what you mean by being weaned. I can eat chicken hearts like they were popcorn. Dad used to buy them at the butcher shop all the time. Most people look at me when I boil leftover chicken hearts..... especially in the south
 
You're a disgusting man bear.  LOL  But we still love you.

My grandma used to fry up bass egg sacks like that all the time when I was a kid. 

For those who've never tried it (bass anyways) take the flavor of fish and multiply the "fishyness" by 100.  It's like super concentrated fish flavor. 
 
can't stand the stuff! maybe it's the texture or the fact that i worked at a steakhouse that sold lots of them. we did it pretty much the same way you do and we served it with 2 rashers of bacon.
I come from a lower middle income (or less) family, who relied on a lot of fish & game. We all loved many kinds of Roe, even both of my sisters.

It's cooked---Caviar isn't.

I usually broil it, but I figured I'd fry this one, and broil the ones that I blanched (broiled on toast, topped with bacon).

I once was sitting at a bar, and a young lady came in, sat next to me, and ordered Shad Roe. I looked at her, and the bartender looked at me & snickered.

She said, "Why are you guys looking like that?" The bartender said, "John (me) is the only regular at the bar who ever orders Shad Roe". And I said, And you're the only female I ever saw eat that, other than both of my sisters". She said, "Hmmm, you have two very intelligent sisters".
 

Bear


Never had this, but looks pretty good... i will try to see if i can find it aorund here... thanks for the idea!
Better start looking soon. The commercial season ends soon (from the bay)---A few weeks before they run up the Delaware.

Then it's only from hook & line, unless the one guy still has a license to net them near Lumberville, NJ.

Bear


this is definitely something new... But it looks really good! I have eaten a lot of different things and this is definitely something I would try.
Like I said, if you can't find them, try a few Bluegill or Bass Roe to see how much you like them first.

Bear
 
 
Bear, If It Didn't Come Out of a Chicken It Doesn't Go Into Beer-B-Q...
laugh1.gif
 
I guess I can try it with cappie eggs. I know what you mean by being weaned. I can eat chicken hearts like they were popcorn. Dad used to buy them at the butcher shop all the time. Most people look at me when I boil leftover chicken hearts..... especially in the south
Yup, we ate all that stuff, Deer heart, liver, (even kidneys).

Rabbit hearts, kidneys, liver (if the dog didn't get it warm from the rabbit as a reward for finding one).

Pheasant gizzards. 

My grandparents couldn't afford to raise my Dad, so he lived on the farm, with my Great-grandfather, and worked for his keep.

They had no electric or phone on the farm. He flunked 8th grade & he blamed it on running out of candles to study by. None of us argued that fact either.

He was a great hunter & fisherman. He bought a 30-40 Krag when he returned from WW2, and shot over 100 deer with it in his lifetime.

I own it now. If it sounds like I'm bragging about him, I am.

I don't blame anybody for not believing these things, because I know they are true, and I find it all hard to believe.

Bear
 


You're a disgusting man bear.  LOL  But we still love you.

My grandma used to fry up bass egg sacks like that all the time when I was a kid. 

For those who've never tried it (bass anyways) take the flavor of fish and multiply the "fishyness" by 100.  It's like super concentrated fish flavor. 
Thank You Very Much, Dude!   
biggrin.gif


Once you soak them in salt water for 4 hours to over night, they aren't near as fishy smelling, and are much better tasting than any fish (IMO), especially a Shad, which in my book is one of the worst fish there is to eat. We always hate when the season is over---it only lasts about 6 weeks.

Bear

Hope I didn't bore too many people.
 
Bear you ever eat the male "egg sack"?
NO !!!

I'm not that kind of a guy!  
PDT_Armataz_01_32.gif


I think they call it the "milt sac".

I heard people eat it, but nobody I know ever did, or at least admitted to it.

Bear
 
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Yup, we ate all that stuff, Deer heart, liver, (even kidneys).

Rabbit hearts, kidneys, liver (if the dog didn't get it warm from the rabbit as a reward for finding one).

Pheasant gizzards. 

My grandparents couldn't afford to raise my Dad, so he lived on the farm, with my Great-grandfather, and worked for his keep.

They had no electric or phone on the farm. He flunked 8th grade & he blamed it on running out of candles to study by. None of us argued that fact either.

He was a great hunter & fisherman. He bought a 30-40 Krag when he returned from WW2, and shot over 100 deer with it in his lifetime.

I own it now. If it sounds like I'm bragging about him, I am.

I don't blame anybody for not believing these things, because I know they are true, and I find it all hard to believe.

Bear
 



Thank You Very Much, Dude!   
biggrin.gif


Once you soak them in salt water for 4 hours to over night, they aren't near as fishy smelling, and are much better tasting than any fish (IMO), especially a Shad, which in my book is one of the worst fish there is to eat. We always hate when the season is over---it only lasts about 6 weeks.

Bear

Hope I didn't bore too many people.
I had a feeling you might take that comment of Dudes as a compliment. Was kinda thinking that myself but didn't say it. Figured I didn't know you well enough or long enough..<grin>. And I don't eat organs either.....being a city boy & all that. The only thing running wild around me growing up was Norwegian Rats in the alleys. Think Pops made $25 a week doing construction plumbing on the high rises so we ate a lot of pasta. Luckily, the apt. we lived in (a 5 story walk up) was under rent control from WWII....50 bucks a month, or I think we woulda been eating pigeons. Thanks for sharing the peek into the Bear Cubs life....wasn't boring at all.
 
 
NO !!!

I'm not that kind of a guy!  
PDT_Armataz_01_32.gif


I think they call it the "milk sac".

I heard people eat it, but nobody I know ever did, or at least admitted to it.

Bear
You may be missing out on something amazing. Although I haven't had it from a shad I did have it from a monk fish while I was in Japan. It was delicious!
 
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