Georgia Shad And Shad Roe Recipes

SHAD ROE WITH RED ONION, BACON, AND GRITS

Steps:

• Rinse the pairs, also known as 'sets', of shad roe gently. Place them in ice water to firm them up. (They are encased in a membrane that you want to leave intact, but sometimes there are extraneous veins and connective tissue that you should try to carefully remove.
• In a large skillet, cook the bacon, or dice and render the side meat. Remove the cooked bacon or side meat to a plate. Make sure the grease is still nice and hot, and add the thinly sliced purple onion. Cook, turning and tossing often, until the onions are softened, shiny, and fragrant. Add the parsley and toss well. Transfer onions to the plate alongside the bacon, and set aside.
• To cook the shad roe: Heat the bacon grease in the same skillet over medium-high heat. (If using side meat and it seems a little skimpy, you may augment it with butter or oil. Mix together the flour and salt.
• Prick the shad roe a few times on both side with a straight pin. (I Nancie did not do this. No pin handy, plus I plumb forgot. No problem ensued.) Dredge the shad roe sets in the flour and shake off the excess.
• Fry in the grease, turning once, carefully, about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 2 or 3 minutes on the second side. They will brown a little. Be careful because sometimes they will pop, especially toward the end of cooking. When they are hot through, remove from heat.
• Pour a generous portion of the grits onto a serving platter, or into a large serving bowl. Place the shad roe on the grits. Break or crumble the bacon into nice chunky pieces.
• Arrange the crumbled bacon and the purple onions alongside the shad roe on the grits. Squeeze lemon juice over the shad roe, and garnish with additional lemon chunks if you have them. Serve hot.

GEORGIA SHAD AND SHAD ROE

Steps:

• Dip shad fillets in mixture of flour, salt and pepper.
• Heat clarified butter and olive oil in a skillet and over low heat slowly cook the shad roe, which has been pricked in a few places. Cook only until it is brown on the outside but pink inside, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside; keep warm.
• Raise heat and saute shad quickly. Remove and set aside. Keep warm.
• Add the chicken stock, wine and lemon to pan and cook quickly over high heat to reduce by half.
• Return roe to pan. Heat through.
• Arrange shad on heated platter with roe. Pour most of sauce from pan and a little over the shad.

PAN-FRIED SHAD ROE WITH LEMON PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Carefully separate the lobes of the shad roe and season it with Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper on both sides. Set aside.
• Heat up a cast iron pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and a swirl of olive oil. Make sure that the bottom of the pan is evenly coated.
• Add the chopped garlic and move it around in the pan with a wooden spatula until it turns golden.
• Gently lay the shad roe into the pan and let it brown for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. It should feel firm, like a medium cooked steak. Set on a plate.
• Lower the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan with the chopped parsley until it has softened and mixed well with the garlic bits in the pan. Squeeze in the lemon juice to loosen it into a sauce. Add a little bit more butter or olive oil, if necessary. Taste and adjust the flavor.
• Spoon the sauce over the shad roe.

SHAD ROE WITH FRIED CAPERS

Steps:

• Drain the capers and rinse them thoroughly to get rid of any salt. Dredge them in flour, shaking off excess. Heat enough oil to cover the capers (about an inch) and deep fry them in a small pan until they are golden and crisp. Keep them warm in a low oven.
• Rinse the shad roe and place them in the milk seasoned with salt and pepper. Remove them and dredge them lightly in the flour.
• Using a nonstick pan, heat the remaining peanut or vegetable oil and saute the roe until they are golden on both sides. Cover the pan and continue cooking for three to five minutes. The roe are done when they are firm to the touch.
• Place the roe on individual heated plates and sprinkle them with the capers and the parsley. Garnish each plate with a lemon quarter and serve.