School of Fish - roe, roe, roe your boat

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Mar 19th 2006 @ 6:45PM

We're getting into the final chapters at the School of Fish, and as always, I save the best for last. Fish eggs, roe, caviar, whatever you choose to call it, isn't my favorite, so you know there's something awesome coming soon.

Many are familiar with the tiny, crunchy orange eggs that are added as a garnish to many of the rolls that are wrapped "inside out" (with the rice on the outside). These are either tobiko, flying fish eggs, or masago, smelt eggs. Tobiko are sightly larger (though not as large as salmon eggs, ikura, which will be covered separately). Sometimes, chefs "dye" the fish eggs a greenish tiny with the use of wasabi. Though they are garnish, these can be ordered as sushi in an of themselves, as pictured. The raw quail egg is, of course, optional.

Previous lessons at the School of Fish:
Saba - holy mackerel!
Hirame - white fish, sometimes halibut
Tai and Suzuki - snapper and sea bass
Maguro - tuna
Toro - fatty belly of tuna
Shiro Maguro - "white" tuna, aka albacore
Ahi tuna
Hamachi - amberjack, aka yellowtail
Sake - salmon
Gai - the bivalves, i.e.clams, scallops, and oysters
Ebi - shrimp
Ika and Tako - squid and octopus
Kani - crab