Day 4: Tasty Taramas made with Potatoes. March 21, 2013

Taramas is a staple food during Great Lent.  It is one of those curious lenten dishes because it is made from fish roe, but we are not allowed to have fish.  The roe, however, is not counted in the category of meat or fish.  Therefore, we can make taramosalata and eat it.  In the past, we have made this with bread -- cutting off the crust of stale white bread and then soaking it in water to add to the whipped roe.  But  this time, we made tarama with potatoes.  This, for us, was a first.  We had heard of other people doing this, but potatoes were for skordalia, not taramosalata.

So, we tried a  new recipe for this.  We found an easy recipe online, but omitted the olive oil and used vegetable oil instead.  The folks at Yumly really made it easy for us.  We had all the ingredients, and could not let Great Lent begin without having taramosalata on the table.  For this recipe, you will need the following:

2 large potatoes
5 ounces tarama (cod roe)
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
3/4 cup oil
garnish with lemon, parsley, or capers

Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks.  Put them in a pot of water and boil them until they are fully cooked.  They should be cooked long enough as if you were making potato salad.  Drain the water when they are done cooking, and keep the potatoes aside for a future step.  In the meantime, while the potatoes cook, chop the onion and puree the tarama with lemon juice.

The recipe called for 5 ounces of tarama (142 g), but we thought that was too much, and we cut it to 3 ounces (85 g).    This was approximtely half the jar of tarama.

Whip the tarama until it is light and fluffy.  This will take about ten minutes (yes, 10 minutes).  The tarama will have the consistency of mayonnaise.

You need the juice of one and a half lemons.  Juice the lemons with your favourite juicer to remove pulp and seeds.  Then, add the lemon juice to the whipped tarama.  The lemon juice may make the tarama a lighter shade.

You will need one small onion.  We had very large onions, so we cut ours in four, and used one fourth of the whole onion.  Cut it into small pieces that will fit into the food processor or blender you are using. 

Add the onions to the food processor and whip until it is completely smooth.  Then, let this rest and work the potatoes.

In a separate bowl, mash the cooked potatoes.  You can use a fork, potato masher, or a hand blender.  Remember, the more you mash, the smoother your taramosalata will be.

We chose to mash our potatoes enough to have some texture, some chunks still intact.  You can see the chunks of potato in the bowl.

Fold together the whipped tarama mixture with the potatoes.  Fold until the colour is uniform and everything is fully mixed.  

Taramosalata is ready to serve.  We garnished with a slice of Meyer Lemon, but you could use capers, chopped red onions, parsley, or whatever you like.  Keep this chilled until serving.

When we made this recipe, we were skeptical with the amounts and the statement that this would serve 7 people.  Of course, we do not believe that this serves 7 Greek people!  Regardless, it was delicious.  One of the people who tasted this said, "I don't usually like tarama because it's too fishy.  This one has a nice, mild fish taste."   Another taster said, "This is different because it's chunky.  It's like fish mashed potatoes."  We are not sure if that is good for others or not, but the taster was honest.  Our last comment from a taster was that this was "... creamy and good.  I don't need the bread, I just need a spoon!"  We think that was the best compliment we could have received... that and, there were no leftovers!  

We would use this recipe again because it was so easy to follow, and easy to make.  The directions were clear, and simplified.  Mostly, we would make this recipe again because we all enjoyed eating it!  After all the years we have made taramosalata with bread, we find that the potatoes were a cleaner way to make this.  No more dipping our hands in the water and squeezing the bread.  Potatoes are always on hand, whereas sliced white bread is not, so that makes this a more convenient recipe for us.  If you recall, we made taramosalata  in Great Lent Gourmet 2012 (Day 12) but then we were focusing on the differences of making it with the two brands of roe that are readily available in the store.  This time, we wanted to focus on the recipe itself, regardless of which brand of roe one is using.  So, we can confirm that taramosalata made with potatoes is delicious and easy.  For us, it will be a staple food during Great Lents to come.

Above all, strive to love your neighbor; for in his love consists love for God.
- St. Macarius of Optina

Day 25: Ready Made Taramosalata (Greek Fish Roe Salad)

As some of you may recall, on Day 12 (March 1, 2012) of our blog, we examined how taramosalata would turn out using two different commercial brands of tarama as the base.  Today, we feel a bit lazy but very excited, nonetheless!  We are going to taste test two popular ready made brands of taramosalata. Both brands, Krinos and Fantis, are readily available in Greek and Mediterranean markets, as well as some larger grocery chains across Canada and the U.S.  And, even though they are the same end product (i.e. both are taramosalata), they are different products with different attributes.

Left: Krinos 330g (11.64 oz) taramosalata. Right: Fantis 241g (8.5 oz) taramosalata

The nutritional values for each brand is nearly identical, even though the ingredients are not.

You can see that each jar has a different colour and a different texture.  The one on the left (Krinos brand) has visible bits of roe and a pink hue. The one on the right (Fantis brand) is smoother and more white; the individual eggs that are highly visible on the Krinos brand are hard to see on the Fantis taramosalata.

Here they are on spoons.  Can you see the difference?

Upon closer look, the differences are quite noticeable.

Well, we had several people tasting these two brands of taramosalata to find out what the general opinion would be about the flavours and the likelihood of purchasing either of these products, or sticking to making the homemade version.  There were so many opinions to consider.  We reached children, elderly, middle-agers, and several 30 somethings, all of whom said similar things.  Here is what we learned:


The Krinos brand taramosalata had a "nice, pleasant flavour," and, "clearly tasted like the taramosalata we expect to taste;"  "It is light and creamy at the same time," and has "little oily aftertaste, which is how the homemade version would be after a day;" "It is nice to see the bits of roe in the mix, and it still has that pleasant, pinkish colour."


The Fantis brand taramosalata had a "smooth and fluffy texture;" with a "white colour that seems unnatural -- is that from the potato?"  Also, "it's too much like mayonnaise, not taramosalata"; "It's very much like the potato recipe homemade one, just less thick."


Overall, the Krinos taramosalata was chosen as the preferred and better tasting brand.  This same brand was chosen for having better texture, colour, and overall mouth feel.  Our tasters also agreed that serving either one would be fine in a pinch, but all preferred to make their own when time allowed.  Not one said the store bought taramosalata was bad, and everyone agreed that serving either taramosalata on bread or raw vegetables also made them more appetizing.


Finally, by the voting group we assembled to taste test the pre-made, store-bought taramosalata, the clear winner was the Krinos brand.  The Fantis was the second choice.


Thank you for reading all of these opinions.  We look forward to hearing what you have to say about either or both products.


St. John Chrysostom (on fasting)

Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him! If you see a beautiful woman on the street, pass her by.
(Source of quote: http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/ChrysostomFasting.php)