So we all know that I have this habit of buying interesting ingredients before I know what I’m going to do with them – squid ink being one of them – and now I’ve done it again.
I saw a tub of tarama at a Greek supermarket – salted cod roe – and I just couldn’t keep my hands off it.
Now I know that I can make other things with it, but the first thing I wanted to make was Taramasalata – a Greek salted cod roe dip that’s creamy and oh so addictive, with hard hitting notes of garlic and lemon juice.
I always thought that it was salted cod roe mixed into mayonnaise, but boy was I wrong.
Research online told me that I required stale bread, and that this with the cod roe was going to make up the mayonnaise. I ended up with a super creamy dip that I’ve been using in everything, and I’m so happy with the results!
Taramasalata
Makes 600ml
50g Tarama, or salted cod roe
1 Mantova loaf, stale (it’s the size of a Vietnamese pork roll loaf)
125ml water
500ml vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, grated into a paste
2 tbsp lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Remove the crust from the loaf of bread and cut into cubes. Place into a food processor with the water and pulse till you get a wet-ish paste.
Add the tarama, garlic paste, and lemon juice, and start running the food processor on low. Stream in the oil, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. You might need slightly more or less oil, depending on the exact amount of bread that went into the mixture.
And there you have it! Delicious and pungent, and a beautiful pink colour.
LOVE IT.