Reminder - Cod's Roe

[realcoolchris]

I followed Wheel's advice & salted for 8 hours but the end product is really too salty to be eaten on it's own with toast. However, I've only tried the thin end and it may be better on the thicker section

The roe was bought from Morrison's at just under £11 a kilo. Mine cost £6.50 and was only 15-20 mm thick; it's a very flat roe.

I think next time, I'll give the roe maybe 4 hours in the salt and the cook & try a bit before smoking or resalting.

It was smoked for around 36hrs over beech & alder and aquired a good smoke flavour. It will make excellent taramasalata.

How do they get that pink colour in the bought product - food dye?

[wheels]

I'm sorry that yours was too salty. I think that you give the reason in your second paragraph - it was very thin.

Yes, the colour is from colouring - a tiny bit of beetroot juice would do the trick.

[realcoolchris]

Wheels,

It's only my fault the roe was too salty and I'd never had thought about smokinge cod's roe without your helpful postings...so thanks for that.

I've been cooking long enough to know that I should have compensated for the thickness...but I had to go out all day & there was no chance to shorten the salting time.

I seem to recall in the past buying smoked cod's roe that is much thicker than this one.

Perhaps I should have chosen a bigger one but last time I had a go at this the terrible smell, even after salting, put me off and I binned it. So this time, I bought a little 'un...just in case.

I don't know if I could be bothered adding colouring: I'm not that keen on pink anyway

[wheels]

The first lot I ever did were off, blimey they don't half pong don't they!

Phil

[crustyo44]

Hi Phil,
I have to agree with you about having to dump perfectly good fish back into the sea.
The world has gone mad. I bet your government and politicians haven't got the balls to bring in foreign owned fishing vessels actually fishing in your waters.
The rules are there only for the local boats.
Same here in Australia, every Tom, Dick and Harry with a foreign rego
fishing boat catches loads of protected species and not much action from our elected idiots at all.
Makes you wonder where all the baksheesh is going.
You guys can blame the European Union, we can only blame the idiots here. It hurts.
Regards,
Jan. Brisbane.

[saucisson]

I've got some scallops complete with coral and I've salted and cold smoked the coral. Dare we eat them raw? and if not what's the best way to treat them? The scallops I'm going to fry in butter...

[wheels]

I'd dry them completely and then powder them:
From: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Secret: We never discard anything that can be used to impart flavour, and that includes scallop corals. The fresh corals are spread on a sheet of baking parchment and dried overnight in a very low oven until they are hard and brittle, then blitzed in a food processor, or ground to a powder. We sprinkle this coral powder over fish dishes, risottos and creamy sauces for pasta. It lends a superb flavour.

Phil

[saucisson]

Interesting, thanks Phil...

[saucisson]

Any independent fishmonger should either have it or be able to get it. It isn't cheap round here, about £10 per kg,

Found some today but it was £12.98 a kilo. We were also going to a matinee performance of Journey's End at the Oxford Playhouse and I didn't think they'd appreciate me taking any in there for a 3 hour performance...

Play was incredible BTW...

[wheels]

Is that the WW1 play?

Phil

[saucisson]

Yes, very moving...

[wheels]

I imagine so.

Phil

[onewheeler]

Could anybody please suggest how long a smoked cod's roe will keep in the refrigerator? I've got a nice looking one salted and smoked last weekend and I'd like to keep it for a bit longer before eating it.

Martin/

[wheels]

I freeze mine - it's fine frozen.

Phil

[onewheeler]

Thanks Phil. I'll probably use some tonight and the rest can go in the deep freeze.