Taramasalata

Ingredients

Roe

• 100 gtarama, salted and cured cod or carp roe

Base

• 150 gstale white bread, crusts removed
• or 250 g boiled floury potato

Also

• 200 mlmild olive oil, or a mix of olive and sunflower
• juice of 1 to 2 lemons
• half a small onion, grated, optional
• a little cold water

To serve

• olive oil
• olives
• pitta or crusty bread
• raw vegetables

Directions

1. Squeeze it genuinely dry with both hands. Water left in the bread makes a sloppy taramasalata that will not take up the oil.
2. Boil them whole and unpeeled so they do not take on water, and rice them rather than blending them. Never put potato in a food processor.
3. Blend the roe with the squeezed bread and a little lemon juice until smooth. Now add the oil in a very thin stream, with the motor running or while whisking hard.
4. Add the oil slowly and steadily. It will thicken and pale as it takes the oil, going from grey to a soft creamy beige. Use a mild olive oil or cut it with sunflower.
5. Add lemon juice and a little cold water alternately as it gets too thick. The water keeps it light and stops it becoming stiff and greasy, and it is what makes a good one so fluffy.
6. Grate in a little onion if you like, which is traditional in some households and disliked in others. Now chill it for at least an hour.
7. Serve it in a shallow bowl with a swirl and a pool of olive oil on top. Serve with warm pitta, crusty bread, olives and raw vegetables. It keeps three or four days refrigerated.

Technique

• The bright pink colour of commercial versions is food dye.
• Bread and potato versions are both traditional and give different textures.
• Smoked cod roe gives a smokier and slightly different result.

Substitutions

• Smoked cod roe in place of tarama.
• Boiled potato in place of bread.

Variations

• Made with potato, which is denser.
• With grated onion.
• With a little garlic, which is a modern addition.

History

Cured fish roe whipped with bread or potato and oil, eaten during Lent when meat and dairy are forbidden.

Frequently asked questions

What is Taramasalata?

Taramasalata is a sauce & condiment from Greece: whipped fish-roe dip with bread and lemon. Cured fish roe whipped with bread or potato and oil, eaten during Lent when meat and dairy are forbidden.

How long does Taramasalata take to make?

Taramasalata takes 20 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes about 400 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Taramasalata?

Yes, within limits. Smoked cod roe in place of tarama. Boiled potato in place of bread.

What is the most important thing to get right in Taramasalata?

Boil them whole and unpeeled so they do not take on water, and rice them rather than blending them. Never put potato in a food processor.