School of Fish: Eek! It's ikura

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Mar 21st 2006 @ 9:10PM

We're getting close to the final chapters of the School of Fish. Today is the last of the roe. Or caviar, as some would call it.

Many are familiar with the tiny orange sometimes reddish eggs that are used to garnish the outside of rolls. These are tobiko (from flying fish) and masago (from smelt), and can be served on their own as well. The bigger eggs, which also range in color from dark orange to bright red are salmon roe. They are called ikura. I am not a huge fan (in fact, I'm not a fan of any sort of fish eggs in any cuisine), but some people love the the extremely salty taste and when perfectly fresh, the "pop" as they are eaten.

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
Masago and tobiko - Roe, roe, roe your boat

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Ingredients, How To
Tags: appetizers, asia, dinner, fish, food, food and drink, food and wine, hors doeuvres, japanese cuisine, japanese food, japanese sushi, JapaneseFood, lunch, school of fish, SchoolOfFish, sushi

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-22-2006 @12:22AM Joe D. said... Unlike Sarah, I'm an ikura fan. Recently my local sushi spot turned me onto a new combo -- ikura and tamago. Egg and egg -- genius! The sweet, custardy cooked egg complements the oceanic salmon roe perfectly.
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3-22-2006 @8:22AM Arcan3 said... "in fact, I'm not a fan of any sort of fish eggs in any cuisine" ... you should try a kind of fish eggs from round here.. they're from a fish called "lisa" in spanish... they're bigger than marbles in size... they're prepared deep fried...ueat them with a little pure lemon juice on top... trust me .. the only fish i eat are sushi and that... :) (yah i know.. i eat sushi yet i cant stand cooked fish ...go figure..)
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3-22-2006 @9:16AM mike said... I'm sorry to hear the series is coming to a close soon. I've really been looking forward to the School of Fish updates. :)

Thanks Sarah.
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3-22-2006 @3:08PM yelena said... first of all i just wanna say i love ikura!!!!!!!!!1
luv luv luv luv luv it!!!
i grew up in russia and ikra, as it is called there, was a main staple in my diet.
okay now that i got that out, i can go on to my other point.
how about when you are finished with the postings of the regular sushi you move on to rolls.
now some may not agree that rolls are even sushi really but what tasty combinations come in those neat little packages.
ok just wanted to put my own two cents in.
thanx for the venue:)
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