Yesterday, after icing a dozen jumbo perch in NJ, I tried using John McPhee's shad roe recipe from his book "The Founding Fish." It works! Here's how you do it: Put an unbroken layer of bacon in a skillet and place roe sacks on top. I had ten roe sacks and used about eight pieces of bacon. Add black pepper if desired. Turn heat to medium. When the bacon starts to sizzle, turn the heat down and COVER until all you can hear is a LOW sizzle. Set timer for 35 mins and let it keep slowly cooking covered. After 35 minutes, carefully drain excess grease in garbage, then put skillet with roe and bacon back on stove and turn heat up UNCOVERED until bacon crisps, just another minute or two. Finally take a plate and carefully flip the bacon/roe onto the plate so the bacon faces upward. If you did it right, you will have a roof of crisp bacon fused into the roe, which now is on the bottom. Last, squeeze lemon on the whole deal, cut up and eat. The roe takes on some of the bacon flavor, but does not overcook. It has a very firm consistency -- almost bread like. I found it delicious, and will never toss away another perch roe sack -- something that always made me feel a little guilty. Hope you enjoy, and if you want to follow the recipe to the letter, pick up McPhee's book, which is an excellent read regardless.
