Cajun Caviar

BuffaloBrian · 04-01-2009, 06:07 AM

Monday night I was watching the Food Network show "Will Work for Food." Down in the Louisiana bayou they were netting Bowfin and making caviar to be sold at jazzy New Orleans restaurants for $180/lbs. Anybody see or hear of this before? May have to save a few from Rend this year!

HNI_Christine · 04-02-2009, 11:39 AM

I tried to fillet out a bowfin I shot. It's smelled like sewer when I put a knife to it. Couldn't bring myself to go any farther. (and I eat some weird stuff)

Never heard of Bowfin caviar. Do they issue commercial permits for bowfin? I know paddlefish roe is in high demand.

HNI_Christine · 04-02-2009, 11:43 AM

Hmm..

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--38225/bowfin-caviar.asp

carptracker · 04-05-2009, 04:34 PM

I made carp caviar (AKA tarama) from silver carp roe one time. I think mine was as good as the common carp tarama I tried years later. A flavor that kind of sticks with you, though. The canned common carp roe was really fishy, I thought. Not terrible, but I wouldn't pay money for it. I used a common carp tarama recipe from the web on silver carp, and it was not nearly as salty and fishy as the canned stuff, but I would not pay money for that, either. I'd eat either if I was hungry and there was nothing else really yummy around, though.

Vlad the Impailer · 04-08-2009, 05:22 AM

we have been snagging paddle fish for a couple of weeks now and a few of the bigger ones have had a lot of roe in them. I found a recipe somewhere on the net that said to put the roe through a strainer to separate the eggs. Then it said to soak them in water and pickling salt. 1 and 1/8th cup of the salt for ever quart of water. Soak for one half day then drain and store in jars. we tried a little. I guess it's an aquired taste. I think I'm going to stick with the rule that if it looks funky.... it's sure to be funky. Possum may taste like pumpkin pie and I'll never know.

HNI_Christine · 04-08-2009, 07:43 AM

Well, it's cool that you tried 'em.

I like flying fish eggs (tobikko) and capelin eggs (masago) in my sushi but that's about it. My mom loves salmon eggs but I don't like them.

When fishing in ***an we were pulling all sorts of funky looking critters up from the depths. Things that were all eyes and teeth and other weird mutants.
I'd reel one up and would say "Egads, what is that??!!"
To which my mom would chirp, "Oh, we eat those, they're delicious."

[:-]

I may try making some carp roe and paddlefish roe someday, just to try.

BTW, I've eaten 'possums... and they don't taste like pumpkin pie. [8D]