I’ve been moodily thinking spring ever since the Super Bowl and in tensely since I got back from a short hop to the Caribbean. These little forays into summer always relieve the feeling that the South Fork’s unseason is never going to end.
It’s a toss-up whether February or March is the most unappetizing in visual appeal; the snow I’m gazing out at right now has lost whatever charm the stuff had in December. I definitely don’t like the sound of sleigh bells in March even as a figure of speech. But aside from the snowdrops and crocuses peeking out, there are harbingers of spring in the food department.
This is the season when the shad, which usually remain in deep water until they are five years old, return to spawn in rivers and on sandy flat bars at the rivers’ mouths. According to Thomas deVoe in his 1866 book, “The Market Assistant,” “This well- known fish is a general favorite among all classes of persons, as its flesh is considered among the best, sweetest, the most delicate, as well as being the most plentiful when in season. Nothing but its numerous bones can be said against it . . . the roes of the female shad are consider ed a delicacy, and by some superior to the fish itself.”
Shad is always sold filleted as no one could possibly deal with its multitudinous bones. T h e male shad, filleted, is just as good eating as the female. As early spring meals go, there is no besting a delicately textured fillet with an escort of the prized roe and some new asparagus. It gives one the heart to put up with March and the early drears of April. Local shad is not running but we get good supplies from southern waters at this time of year.
Broiled Shad With Creme Fraiche
Most shad fillets weigh about one pound, so one is enough for two people as a rule. Cut them in half across the width. This is one of the simplest and most delicious ways to cook this fish.
Serves four
2 shad fillets (about 2 lbs.)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup crème fraiche
2 Tbsp. scallions sliced in rings
Preheat the broiler. You will not have to turn the fish as the heat from underneath and above will supply enough heat to cook the fillets through in about eight minutes. Line a flat pan with foil and butter it thoroughly. Lay the fillets on it after you have sliced them in half and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Smear them with a thin layer of crème fraiche and slide under the broiler.
Watch this operation carefully and broil under a medium flame about six inches from the heat source until it is lightly browned and feels firm to the touch. Remove to hot plates and sprinkle with the scallions. An old Southern favorite is to serve the shad with rashers of crisp bacon. If you have no crème fraiche on hand, spread the shad fillets with well-softened sweet butter.
Sauteed Shad Roe With Beurre Blanc
One of the main headaches in cooking shad roe is to keep it from exploding into a mess of little fish eggs. I have found, over the years, that one of the best ways to insure beautiful whole roes is to dredge them very lightly in flour before they are sauteed.
Serves two
1 large pair shad roe
Flour, salt, and pepper
4 Tbsp. clarified butter
Make the clarified butter by heating it until the whey separates and sinks to the bottom of the saucepan. Carefully pour off the clear oil that remains at the top into a heavy skillet. Rinse the roe gently in cold water. Clip the two halves apart with sharp scissors, taking care not to injure the membrane.
Pat them almost dry and lightly dredge in a little flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat, turning once, for about four minutes on each side. Transfer to a heated plate.
Beurre Blanc
This sauce is quickly made but it doesn’t hold well, so make it just before sauteing the roe. Or keep the roe warm in a very low oven while you make the sauce. The recipe is easy to double or triple but this is enough for a single pair of roe.
Makes about half a cup 2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted cold butter, cut into eight parts
Salt to taste
Freshly-milled white pepper to taste
Put the shallots into a small heavy saucepan with the wine and simmer until the shallots are transparent and the wine almost evaporated. Add the cream and let it reduce by about half. Working over very low heat, whisk in the butter, piece by piece until you have incorporated it all. Strain the sauce into a warm bowl and serve as soon as possible.
Sauteed Curried Shad Roe
This unusual combination is from the excellent book by the Springs own master chef, Pierre Franey and The New York Times restaurant critic, Bryan Miller, titled “The Seafood Cookbook,” published in 1986 by Times Books. The authors note that the recipe also works well with shrimp, bluefish, and pompano fillets.
Serves six.
6 pairs shad roe (about 1/2 lb. each)
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp. flour
4 tsps. best quality curry powder*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
6 thin lemon slices, seeded
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
*If you do not have your own homemade blend of spices, be sure to buy the best quality curry powder and make certain it is fresh.
Rinse and drain the shad roe. Put them in a flat dish and pour the milk over them.
Blend the flour, curry powder, salt, and pepper and spread the mixture over a flat plate. Remove the roe from the milk and dredge the pieces in the flour mixture.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium- high heat. Add three pairs of roe to the pan and brown them on one side (or cook three halves in sequence until all are done because this would require a very large skillet). Turn and brown on the other side, cover the pan tightly, and continue cooking for between five and eight minutes. They are done when they are firmly resilient to the touch. Transfer them to a warm platter and keep warm in a low oven until all the roes are cooked.
Pour off the oil from the pan. Add butter and cook to a hazelnut color, swirling the pan. Pour the butter over the shad roe and garnish each pair with a slice of lemon. Sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley and serve.
