So, I noticed Magruders advertisement in the Food section of the Washington Post listed shad roe available. I'm thinking about buying some and fixing at home. How do you pick out good roe? How should you cook it? And what does it taste like, and what is the texture like?

(Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere; I did a search and didn't find a topic on it.)

Some info here, it centers more on what restaurants serve it, but there is some discussion on preparation, taste, and texture.

This brings back memories. Fried shad roe was one of my favorite treats growing up and my mom used to prepare it in a traditional Bengali manner. Shad roe is similar in taste (or as close as you can get) to hilsa fish (sometimes described as the national fish of Bengal).

First you must remove the eggs from the sac. There'll be a very thin membrane around the roe which you have to carefully peel off. Personally, I think this is the toughest part of the whole deal.

Make a fine paste out of fresh ginger, turmeric, salt, and green chilis. I don't ever measure it, but I'm thinking about 1/2 inch of ginger (peeled, of course), two green chilis, a pinch of turmeric and a slightly more generous pinch of salt.

Using your fingers, mix the spice paste with the shad roe and then form into irregular shaped balls. Drop them into hot oil and fry a minute or two. I wish I could give you a more detailed recipe. Where's Monica Bhinde???? I'm sure she knows far better than I do.

These delicious morsels were an appetizer that I coveted. My parents would always go to the fish monger and specifically request female carp that were full of roe. When I went away to university, they would freeze the roe and make it as a special treat for me when I visited. 20 years later, I would bet the farm that if I went home unannounced, there would be at least a small amount in the freezer, just in case!

Shad roe deteriorates quickly, and is easily overcooked so I'm guessing that the people who complained about it tasting "fishy" or livery were eating shad roe that was not totally fresh, or was over cooked. Or both.

I would be a bit suspicious of someplace selling it cheap. My recommendation would be to get some at BlackSalt* or some other high quality fish purveyor (*yes, I used to work there, but I have no connection with it anymore) where they get small quantities on a frequent basis. That way you know it hasn't been sitting around for a few days. Scott Weinstein at BlackSalt recently told me that he has been selling out every day that he gets it in.

The shad roe that is for sale now is coming from Georgia. The Carolinas will be next. It'll be a while yet, before true local shad and shad roe are for sale.

I never had it when I was growing up on the West Coast. But it is "traditional" in my husband's Pennsylvania-DC family. It has to be sauteed in bacon fat and served on toasted English muffins with a little squeeze of lemon juice, just like his mother used to make it. The one time I added some sauteed shallots, white wine and a little bit of fresh tarragon, my husband was furious at me: "You RUINED it!!!" I thought it was delicious, but I had blundered into sacred territory with my fancy-schmancy gourmet pretensions. Now, when I do make it for him, the only thing I change is that I use better bacon than his mother used to buy. That seems to be ok with him.

John McPhee wrote a very entertaining non-fiction book on shad, The Founding Fish.

He has a recipe for shad roe in the back of the book which is pretty much what Nora's husband expects from shad roe. I've never been able to get them to come out right but don't think bacon fat is the ideal medium. Old time Southerners always cooked everything in bacon grease. If I tried again I'd use clarified butter and very lightly flour first.

Bonnie Wolf did a piece about shad roe on NPR and has a recipe on their website as well as a clip of her essay.

They are very delicate and easy to overcook, they must be strictly fresh, and even so, to me, they do taste like fish. Fish eggs, to be precise. I don't cook them myself, just eat a nice dish of shad roe at a good restaurant in season. The Track restaurant in Carytown in Richmond does a nice job with shad roe.

I just got off the phone with the manager at The Track, shad roe is available now, but he sold out last night and can't get anymore today. He thinks he will have them this weekend. They are only open for lunch and are closed Sunday and Monday. The Track 2915 West Cary Street (804) 359-4781

Slavin Fish market has shad roe in stock, $11.95 per pair.

As Nora said, the shad are not running this far north yet. The shad planking in Wakefield VA, a traditional political meet-and-greet for all Virginia politicians, is held in April. This year's shad planking will be held on April 28. No idea whether they serve shad roe, though.

I've always been able to find shad roe at Cameron's Seafood Market.

I saw shad roe today at the Duke St. WF. I LOVE shad roe, and so does my husband, but at $14.99 per set it took my breath away!

It was $11.99 a set at BlackSalt when I stopped in this evening. Starting to come in from the Carolinas

Thanks, y'all. I'm going to see about getting some this weekend.

It is not unheard of sacs exploding under high heat. The surprise "pop" is almost as exhilirating as the splashing of hot fat onto neck, arms and face.

Harris Teeter in Ballston had them today for $7.99 each.
I can't comment on quality because never having seen or tried them, I don't know how they're supposed to look.

But I thought I'd let those who are looking know that they're out there.

The seafood stalls at Maine Fish Market had shad roe. Lots of it. Most had it at 2.99/lb.

I have never cooked, or had, shad roe before. If I get some tomorrow, what's the wine to drink with it?

Depending on the amount of bacon, either Alsatian riesling or amontillado sherry.