Rainbow Roe

[alexmedic]

Hi all,

 

I just brought home a nice sized hen caught on my favourite "put and take lake" in the Muskokas.

 

Usually once a year, I always try to bring home one hen from this lake. The ministry stocks the lake every 2 years, and from what we can tell, there is no natural area for them to spawn, so I never feel guilty eating the meat and keeping the roe.

 

This year, I decided to take a stab at preserving the roe. Normally, I just clean the roe well with fresh cold water and vacuum seal it for next spring. It seemed to work okay, but I did notice that the roe would almost freeze and become very opaque after a few drifts, especially in the winter.

 

 

 

Once I removed all the loose roe from the skien, I rinsed it in cold ice water. I own a Reverse Osmosis system, so I used this, eliminating any chlorine, etc..

 

Here is the recipe I used:

 

1 cup of hot water

 

1/2 cup of kosher salt

 

1/2 cup of sugar (apparently steelhead prefer a sweeter scent - so I read!)

 

Mix the ingredients together, and let the solution cool.

 

Pour the solution in a large zip-lock bag and let it sit over night.

 

About 2 hours into the process, I looked at the eggs and I noticed they were become shrivelled up. I thought I had ruined the lot!

 

I read a bit more and it turns out that this process is normal, it is apparently part of the osmosis process. Sure enough the next morning the roe was plump and firm. From there I vacuum sealed the roe in 3 portions for later use.

 

And that it. I found the process very easy and painless.

 

Hope this helps anyone who needs it..

[BillM]

I'd probably just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. No curing for me.

[Christopheraaron]

Has anyone tried using other types of roe for steelhead, you know perch etc

[alexmedic]

I'd probably just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. No curing for me.

 

 

Do you find it beneficial? (smell etc..) Or is it just easier to do?

[alexmedic]

Has anyone tried using other types of roe for steelhead, you know perch etc

 

 

I have heard of sucker roe for specs, but have never tried it...

[misfish]

I'd probably just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. No curing for me.

 

 

[super dave]

There are many curing methods out there that will work but I'm with Bill - just dry a bit and freeze. Nothing added.

 

You could also parse out the roe and try a few different methods, label them and freeze. Which ever works best, stick with that one going forward.

[Paulus]

Has anyone tried using other types of roe for steelhead, you know perch etc

 

Salmon roe works well at times. I don't usually use rainbow roe in the fall, actually. Only salmon roe.

 

p.-

[Paulus]

I'd probably just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. No curing for me.

Agreed, most of the time. I actually pack it in baby food jars to avoid freezer burn.

 

However, I do cure it when it comes out of the freezer. I may not cure it all, depending on what conditions I'm going to fish, but I will almost always certainly cure some. I like this better than constantly freezing and re-freezing fresh roe bags.

 

Lots of ways to cure. I've used good old borax for a long time. Just sprinkle in a ziploc bag, dump the roe in and shake it around till it's all covered, let sit overnight then tie. No need for water. I sometimes also use pro-cure in the same way. I don't "wet" cure anymore. Some people swear by the borax thing before freezing.

 

If the roe is loose, it's a good idea to water harden it for a couple of minutes (you can put it in an old nylon sock); and let it dry on paper towels overnight before freezing. THat way, there's less risk of ice and therefore perforated egg membranes.

 

p.-

[Ben_Daniels]

Is roe that you harvest and transport like fish filets? i.e. do you need to keep a patch of skin attached or something else so a C.O. can identify the species it came from? I never fish with roe I'm just curious.

[alexmedic]

Is roe that you harvest and transport like fish filets? i.e. do you need to keep a patch of skin attached or something else so a C.O. can identify the species it came from? I never fish with roe I'm just curious.

 

 

Not to my knowledge. Usually most roe is pretty distinctive looking (Rainbow from Salmon at least).

 

I have read that if you milk roe from a fish (which is highly debatable for the well being of the fish) , it does count against your total caught.