Springtime is shad time on the Hudson

Some people would rather have shad without shad roe, some prefer roe, some are partial to both, and others would just as soon have neither.

Shad is famous for roe because shad have a lot of it, as much as 300,000 eggs, half a pound or more, in two egg sacks to each female fish.

On the Delaware, Hudson and Connecticut rivers in the spring of the year, the shad still run, and shad festivals are held nearly every weekend of the season, starting sometime in April and extending into June.

The oily fish and its roe, too, are chockablock with healthful omega-3 acids; also, it is only wild, not farmed.

The fish, part of the mackerel family, and its roe have given generations of writers a rich and romantic topic. New Yorker magazine writer John McPhee wrote of shad in his book "The Founding Fish" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) in 2002. Another New Yorker writer, the late Joseph Mitchell, wrote of shad fishermen in the elegiac essay "The Rivermen" (contained within "Up in the Old Hotel," Random House, 1993). In Mitchell's 1960 piece, old river rats discussed the dying art of old-time shad fishing.

It hasn't died yet, but "the catch has declined for years now," said Christopher Letts, a river educator for the Hudson River Foundation (hudsonriver.org). This year, New York shad fishing was restricted to two days a week. In 1986, Letts, who organizes shad samplers (go to

newsday.com/food to see a list) on the Hudson, had to start paying for shad, which once was free. "There was never a time when there weren't shad festivals," said Letts. "I have a match case from the days before cigarette lighters, from the New York Board of Trade Shad Bake 1893.... The very same family - Ingold, that Joseph Mitchell wrote about - taught me to plank it" on oak boards. Moved farther from the fire as it cooks, slowly, for about an hour and a half, the fish is perfection, Letts said. Cook roe separately, and gently, he advised.

The season is over in nearby Hudson waters, but Letts has stockpiled plenty of frozen shad for festival samplers. (Shad for a June 7 Connecticut festival will be fresh from the Connecticut River, however.)

Steven Raichlen, in "A Celebration of the Seasons," his 1988 cookbook, wrote that "for many people, the fish is of small consequence - the mere packaging for another springtime delicacy, shad roe ... imagine the richness of sweetbreads, the subtle liver flavor of foie gras and the sensuous crunch of the finest caviar. If I've failed to convince you, please pass your plate to me."



RECIPE

Shad Roe a Go-Go

Helena Andreyko, administrator of the Hudson River Foundation, makes shad roe this way.

1 pair shad roe, about 8 ounces

Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging

2 tablespoons bacon fat (preferred), or olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon capers

1/2 to 3/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

Crisp bacon, for serving, optional

1. Gently rinse roe in cold water. Separate 2 halves, pat dry and flour lightly.

2. Heat oil or bacon fat, butter and garlic in skillet on medium heat. Add roe and sauté until lightly browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Do not turn heat too high. Sprinkle roe liberally with lemon juice, flip gently, and sprinkle again with lemon and capers. When browned on second side, which should take about 2 minutes for medium rare, add wine and sprinkle with part of the parsley, reserving part of it for garnish.

3. Remove roe to warmed serving plate; reduce liquid in pan. Pour reduced liquid over roe and sprinkle with additional parsley and crumbled bacon bits if desired. Makes 2 servings.



THRIFTY KITCHEN A LA CARTER

Use leftover frosting and graham crackers to make sandwich "cookies" for kids.

Related topic galleries: Connecticut, New York, Festive Event, Connecticut River, Delaware, Fishing