Nothing complements fried fish quite as tastily as hushpuppies. And since I have already brought the matter up, nothing makes a hushpuppy turn out quite as tasty as a dollop of loose roe mixed in the batter. Unless you have a secret source of canned roe, you will have to use leftover roe, or else cook some fresh roe by simmering it in water for three or four minutes. In either case, you will need to remove the roe from its membrane, then crumble the eggs with a fork or your fingers. Although the following recipe calls for tomato juice or V-8 juice, which imparts a beautiful rosy color to the pups, you can substitute milk, water or even beer.

The same recipe without the roe is still delicious but not heavenly. This serves at least four, and is easily doubled.

HUSHPUPPIES WITH ROE

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1 small onion, grated or finely chopped

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 ⁄3 cup loose fish roe

1 ⁄3 cup tomato or V-8 juice

Beat the egg lightly in a small bowl. Mix in the meal, then the onion and roe. Add the liquid and stir well. The batter should be thick enough to hold shape when dipped. Using a tablespoon, drop half a spoonful of batter at a time into the 350 to 375 degree grease in which you’re frying fish. The puppies will brown quickly, in no more than a minute or so. Turn each one with a spoon to brown the other side, then remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. The hushpuppies can be cooked first, last or simultaneously with the fish, but do not try to fry them with the roe.

When I manage to keep nostalgia at bay, I now tend to sauté or pan fry my roe, which is not only a healthier method, but is just as quick and easy, and a bit more “uptown.” It is also less perilous, since at lower cooking temperatures the roe does not pop much, if at all. It’s still a safe idea, however, to puncture the membrane in a place or two and to cover the pan. This recipe serves four.

FISH ROE SUPREME

4 large or 4 pairs small roe

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small pat butter

Salt

Pepper

1 ⁄4 cup white wine

1 ⁄2 cup broccoli, chopped

1 ⁄2 cup carrots in small strips

1 medium onion, diced

1 ⁄2 cup green or red pepper, chopped

1 ⁄2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups cooked rice

Lightly cover bottom of large, non-stick skillet with olive oil. Turn burner to medium and add butter. When butter starts to brown, add the row, and lightly brown on one side. Turn the roe, add the wine, cover the pan, turn heat down a bit to medium-low and simmer for five minutes—up to seven or eight minutes if roe is very large. Remove roe from pan, add a splash more oil (plus a dab more butter if desired) and stir-fry the vegetables a few minutes to desired state of doneness. Serve the roe on a bed of rice, surrounded by the vegetables.

Roe that has been cooked, no matter by what method, can be crumbled and utilized in a number of delicious ways. Try it with scrambled eggs for a breakfast treat. Or make up this special dip to delight. And perhaps puzzle your guests at a party or dinner. It’s a Greek dish called taramosalata—”tarama” being the Greek word for fish roe.

TARAMOSALATA

4 slices white or wheat bread

1 ⁄2 cup loose fish roe

1 ⁄2 cup olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

Juice of 2 lemons

1 ⁄4 tsp. salt

Sprinkle of black pepper

Special fish dip with egg roe on crackers.

Cut crusts from bread and soak thoroughly in water. Squeeze out the water and then work the bread, roe, onion and garlic together until the mixture is smooth. Add the oil and lemon juice alternately, a bit at a time, pausing to work it in thoroughly after each addition. Add pepper to taste and serve with capers and olives.

Mullet roe has lately become the target of aquaculture efforts in several countries, and is already in limited production. It freezes well, and in the future we may be able to find mullet roe in supermarkets at any time of the year.

And here’s an even more appealing possibility: a plentiful supply of cultured roe could spell the demise of illegal mullet netting in Florida.

FS