April 7th, 2010
Shad, Shad Roe, Recipes, Delaware Beaches, Virginia, Maryland, Spring Tradition
One of my favorites is Shad. This is the time of the year for this delicate fish and Shad is very popular in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. You can only get it for about 6 or 7 weeks. The taste is so light; not fishy at all.
Shad spawns in rivers and traditionally it was caught along with salmon in set nets which were suspended from poles driven into the river bed and close to shore in tidal water. It is very bony, but I get mine, deboned. Some people like to cook the whole fish and in that case you would have to steam it in an oven for about 5 hours. The bones actually, disolve.
Shad is so flavorful that you really don’t need sauces, herbs or spices. It can be boiled, filleted and fried in butter or baked. The way I like is baked on a high heat; about 400 degrees. All I do is get a cookie sheet and line it with foil, then grease it a bit. Place the shad on the cookie sheet and basted with melted butter, lemon and some paprika. That’s all. Cook it 10 minutes to the pound. Want to test it to see if it’s cooked? Just insert a fork and tug and if it gives then it is ready. So easy.
Shad Roe is the egg of the females. It is another favorite in my household. There are so many recipes available but I just bake it on a lined cookie sheet, in a high heat oven (400 degrees). The important ingredient here is bacon. I wrap bacon around the shad roe to keep it moist. Sprinkle pepper on it. Just bake it for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked. You certainly do not want it dry. Then I cook a couple of extra bacon strips and put them on the side as a garnish.
Shad Planking? It is an annual political event inVirginia and it takes place in April, near Wakefield. It celebrates the James River running of shad. The shad is smoked on wood planks over an open flame.
The reason Shad Planking is a political event is because on the year of every gubernatorial election, would-be-candidates, lobbyists, campaign workers, and reporters gather in the town for shad planking in Wakefield.
Shad populations have been declining for years. It is due to blocked spawning areas by dams, habitat destruction/pollution, and overfishing.
Along with Shad and Shad Roe, my vegetable of choice is asparagus. Steamed and served with hollandaise sauce. The sauce is very easy to make, as well. Get your blender ready and put 3 egg yolks, juice of a lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper. In a small saucepan, melt a stick of butter or margarine. Turn the blender on to blend and with it running, pour the hot, melted butter or margarine and just blend it for a few seconds. That’s it.
If you like fish, then I think you will be happy with Shad and Shad Roe.
Note: Information on Shad and Shad Planking was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shad and from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shad_Planking
Talk to you later…
Tags: Delaware Beaches, Maryland, Ocean City, Recipe, Recipes, Shad, Shad Roe, Virginia
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