Preparing Rainbow Roe

[openfire]

Just thought I'd post some pics as I prepare my roe.
First the skein:

Second, The roe has been rinsed with bottled water (no tap water), gently separated from the skein and spread out across coffee filters and paper towels to dry.

Waiting for roe to dry...

OK, the roe is now dry: It's hard to tell from this picture, but at this stage the roe is "sticky" dry.

The roe has now been freezer-bagged into individual bags, each roughly enough for 1 fishing trip.

A big roe-bag made from the loose roe scraped from the side of the bowl.

 

[MikeyMikey]

Off-topic question!

What have you done with the fish meat ?

I like to place you in a spotlight. :mrgreen:

 

[openfire]

Off-topic question!

What have you done with the fish meat ?

I like to place you in a spotlight. :mrgreen:

My girlfriend's parents had Rainbow trout for dinner tonight! They enjoyed it!

 

[MikeyMikey]

Off-topic question!

What have you done with the fish meat ?

I like to place you in a spotlight. :mrgreen:

My girlfriend's parents had Rainbow trout for dinner tonight! They enjoyed it!

I would like to know why YOU haven't had it than ?

Once again, I like to place you in a spotlight.

 

[openfire]

Off-topic question!

What have you done with the fish meat ?

I like to place you in a spotlight. :mrgreen:

My girlfriend's parents had Rainbow trout for dinner tonight! They enjoyed it!

I would like to know why YOU haven't had it than ?

Once again, I like to place you in a spotlight.

I guess it's because I'm a generous person. I would rather have my inlaws eat the fish.

 

[MikeyMikey]

That is how you take care of a family :mrgreen:

 

[disspatcher]

Nice Openfire..gotta gets me some ..my freezer is MT!!
WTG :mrgreen:

 

[Bvillefish2]

Ew, That looks gross! I like fish but i'll stick with live bait! lol

 

[Spinninreel]

How have you found the roe compares to the berkley or Luhr Jensen fake roe?

 

[openfire]

How have you found the roe compares to the berkley or Luhr Jensen fake roe?

I've never used the Jensen eggs, so I can't comment. As for the Berkley egg clusters, I've only used them once in an emergency situation and I caught a fresh hen... so 1 for 1 on the Berkley egg clusters! Most guys will tell you that nothing beats fresh rainbow roe and they might be right.

 

[Spinninreel]

Thanks.

 

[disspatcher]

Nothing better than fresh row...especially brown trout roe...candy to the steelhead!
Crappie,perch,carp ....many species would be all over a fresh roe bag!

 

[gswift]

I got some Brownie roe from last year, and yeah it's like candy to Steelies!

 

[openfire]

Yup, brown roe is definitely the good stuff from all accounts. The only brown roe I ever had was left in my x-GF's parents' freezer before I could even try it. :shock: (Note to self, remove all fishing stuff from GF's parents' house before break-up)

 

[idesign]

hey openfire.IS the step u listed is enough.Will it be ok if we put that in freezer and use it next year.I asking u because i was reading online that if u just clean and put in freezer,the eggs will get frost bites and will spoil the eggs.let me know.thx

 

[kennyhman]

hey openfire.IS the step u listed is enough.Will it be ok if we put that in freezer and use it next year.I asking u because i was reading online that if u just clean and put in freezer,the eggs will get frost bites and will spoil the eggs.let me know.thx

I think you have to put the roe in vacuum seal / air-tight bags to prevent the frostbite/freezer burn. Since you do that for food, i guess it would be the same process. :?:

 

[Spinninreel]

Openfire - I have heard that some people like to a reciepe of borax, salt and sugar and then letting the eggs sit in the fridge for a month before use. Have you had a chance to try this?

 

[longsilver]

I know that meat won't/shouldn't last in the fridge for a year, but then again I'm likely pickier than a rainbow.

I've also heard of curing them. In fact I have a friend that smokes them.

 

[disspatcher]

Sorry to keep going back to the well but.....go to youtube and search rainbow trout roe..shows how to prep it step by step!
..gotta love youtube!

 

[openfire]

It's critical that the roe be thoroughly dried before freezing. The reason is that when it freezes, the water will crystallize and puncture the cell walls of the roe, thus turning it into mush when thawed and used. You will still get some crystallization and thus damage to the roe, but the roe should still be usable. Also try to ensure as best a vacuum seal as possible, minimizing moisture. It won't be as good as fresh roe, but better than cured I believe.

You can also leave it in the fridge for a day or 2 after drying to further firm it up a bit before freezing. This is the way to go.

What happens with frozen roe is that after a while your roe bags will go white in the water, then it's time for a new roe bag.

I haven't tried using roe that was frozen for a year, so I'm not sure how well it will work.