22. SHAD ROE with BUTTER and BACON

serves four


4 thick slices of bacon, halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pairs medium shad roe, 8 to 10 ounces per pair
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Fry the bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove, drain, and reserve it. Add the butter to the bacon drippings, warm through, and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Gently add the pairs of shad roe and sprinkle them in the pan with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn each pair with a broad spatula and cook until lightly browned on the second side and just firm, about 2 minutes longer. You want them to remain very pink at the center.

Gently remove from the pan and separate the lobes for 4 servings by slicing the membrane attaching the 2 lobes of each pair. Arrange on plates or a serving platter.

Stir the mustard into the pan drippings and add about 1/4 cup water, enough to make a light sauce. Spoon the sauce over the roe, garnish with bacon, and serve.


courtesy of: A Real American Breakfast by Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison. New York: William Morrow (HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, NYC, 10022), 2002, p. 168