Shad Roe?

Anyone know where one can find shad roe served in the Chicago area? My husband and I loved the stuff when we were living in DC. All leads appreciated! Much thanks in advance.

There's an old post on Chowhound that mentions Shaw's.
Shaw's Crab House
http://www.shawscrabhouse.com
21 E Hubbard St
(312) 527-2722

You know, I've been curious about shad roe ever since I first heard "Let's Do It" (yes, a song about sex and I think about food...it's sad) but I've never seen it anywhere. I'd be perfectly willing to fry up my own - has anybody seen it at a fishmonger?

Sunset foods in the northern burbs usually has it seasonally. I would definitely call first.

-Will

(yes, a song about sex and I think about food...it's sad)

You're not the only one. Cole Porter had the same problem:

If I invite a boy some night
To dine on my fine finnan haddie
I just adore, his asking for more
But my heart belongs to Daddy

Julie London gets the full filthiness out of what has to be one of the most innuendo-filled songs of all time.

Finnan haddie.

Back in the day, Itto Sushi served it as nigiri sushi. I'd call ahead and make sure they still do before just showing up.

Itto Sushi
2616 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 871-1800

Mike G wrote:Julie London gets the full filthiness out of what has to be one of the most innuendo-filled songs of all time.

Finnan haddie.

Off-topic, but Dorothy Dandridge does a fine version, too.

Season is just starting, Grasch's in Milwaukee says they will have it Monday. I will have it Tuesday! It's become very expensive.-Dick

sbr929 wrote:Anyone know where one can find shad roe served in the Chicago area?

Dave148 wrote:There's an old post on Chowhound that mentions Shaw's.

Unfortunately, Shaw's isn't serving shad roe and it doesn't sound like they have any plans to (though I can't be certain about that). In case you want to prepare it at home, Dirk's Fish has had some already this year. The season is short though, perhaps only a few more weeks. Dirk doesn't always have it on hand so be sure to call first.

I'm afraid this probably won't do you any good, except to reconfirm it is indeed in season, but last week I noticed shad roe on the daily menu at Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York. I very seriously considered ordering it but opted instead for the oyster pan roast which I'd been wanting to try for many years. The pan roast was good but now I wish I'd ordered shad roe. I think I may have to stop by Dirk's.

In keeping with the sub-theme of this thread, Paul Quinichette recorded Shad Roe (listen here) in the 1950s. No lyrics, instrumental only.

Dirk's Fish
2070 N Clybourn Av
Chicago
773-404-3475

LTH,

Have faith. I spoke with Bill Dugan a while ago, (The Fish Guy), and put a bug in his ear. He thanked me for the reminder and said that he will be bringing shad roe in shortly. More to follow.

Peter,

I would have ordered both! My usual order is several dozen raw cherrystones followed by a clam belly (Ipswich) pan roast.

http://www.fishguy.com/

Thanks all!

I really hope we can get our hands on some this season. Now, if i buy it from Dirks or The Fish Guy (fingers crossed), any of you ever made it at home?

sbr929,

Cooking shad roe is simple. Lightly dust the sacs in seasoned flour and saute in the fat of your choice, turning as necessary until the sacs are fairly firm. I like to use half clarified butter and half bacon fat. Shad roe isn't eaten medium-rare. I like it classic East coast style, with capers and meuniere butter, and a side of crisp bacon.

Be sure to wear your safety goggles and long sleeves. These suckers explode even worse than soft shell crabs and chicken livers.

As far as there being a season for shad and shad roe, I learned that the early shad comes from the southeastern U.S. or may be "intercepted" shad caught commercially at sea before moving up the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers to spawn in fresh water in late April and early May. Local shad fishermen in New England (mostly amateurs) consider the latter approach unsporting and feel that the practice of intercepting shad in salt water may be responsible for the depletion of their numbers in recent years.

Here is a link to an article in the New York Times about Hudson River Shad-fests.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9F0CE5DB1F3BF931A25757C0A964958260

There are also a number of shad events in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut in late May and early June. Here is a link to the Centerbrook, CT (near New London) shad festival website. It would be fun to try to catch your own shad, though. Here is a link to the main shad fishing website.

http://www.newenglandshad.com/defaultTEST.asp

I am thinking of a plan to combine a shad event with an asparagus church supper in the Hadley, Massachusetts, area, the former capital of asparagus-growing as profiled in Issue #50 of Saveur:

http://www.saveur.com/article/our-favorite-foods/Hadley-Grass-

Just bought a beautiful pair of shad roe at Dirk's a few hours ago, the fishmonger suggested wrapping with bacon and pan fry it.... got some cherrystone clams and 2 lobsters
its going to be a fantastic dinner tonight!

THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU. I just called and had them put some aside for me. What fun!!! Wish me luck in the cooking. Any more advice on that is welcome.

Some casual inquiries this week have led me to conclude that lobes of shad roe are the Connecticut Yankee's answer to chitterlings. Some love 'em, some hate 'em, but everyone has tried them at least once in Grandma's kitchen. In spite of its challenging qualities, shad roe grabs people and won't let them go. One of the stories a coworker told me about the dish was punctuated with quips about Dad being tied to Grandma's apron strings through a craving for shad roe in the springtime, shad roe being something that Mom reluctantly prepared in spite of the smell that lingered in the house afterward. This clearly resonated with the other staff members, who laughed and said that it was the same scenario in their homes growing up. The visceral tie to the matriarch unleashed by the dish seems fitting, given the shad's hatching and development in freshwater, followed by years at sea that culminate in a long journey from the ocean upriver during the spring.

One of my coworkers reported that her husband began pestering her last week to call the local fishmonger daily to obtain the first shad roe available. Another friend, who grew up on a nearby farm, tells me that his mother, like all the mothers he knew, used to prepare it at his father's request -it was far from a rare item for gourmets. The numbers of shad in the Eastern watershed seem to bear this out. Apparently, shad fishing remains a significant contributor to the economy in Connecticut and Massachusetts (see link below).

I learned that shad fillets, like chitterlings, require careful preparation. In the case of the shad, I am told by my coworker that this has to do with making a number of specific cuts to remove the network of tiny bones. The traditional outdoor fish preparation relates to the oily nature of the fish and the need to burn off the oil in the open air. Another method involves pickling, which makes sense since shad is related to the herring family. My coworkers endorsed the bacon-wrapping method of preparing the roe. Perhaps a side of crispy bacon could improve a dish of soft chitterlings as well?

For those who might be interested in more information about shad, here is a link to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service information page on shad. A bit of trivia from the site: shad's Latin name, Alosa sapidissima, means Alosa "most savory."

http://www.fws.gov/r5crc/Fish/zb_alsa.html

I learned the hard way that Evil Ronnie is right about goggles and long sleeves, those suckers do explode pretty impressively.... now i have burnt marks to show for
I opted for some seasoned flour, pan fried in bacon fat with a side of bacon
my boyfriend suggested making a hot sauce to serve with so we whipped up a blend of frank's red hot, a little bit of butter and some lemon juice, it was mighty tasty!!

adding a nice size T-bone steak from Paulina's meat market last night and some buttered green peas, we were a very happy couple

The proper way to prepare shad roe is too slowly poach the roe in butter. When fully cooked then dredge with flour, season and fry in the remaining butter, serve with lemon.
As you have found out, if not done this way it explodes.-Dick

Thank you all! My husband and I had a lovely meal using this recipe (which happens to be from one of our favorite Washington DC restaurants) http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/recipes/2775.html. We didn't have much splattering. The only way we added to/changed the recipe was that we floured the roe sacks before pan frying them. I am really glad we made them, though I will say, I enjoyed them more made for me at restaurants in the DC area.

Again, many thanks to the forum!