Turkish cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Tarama Salatası (Fish Roe Dip)

Istanbul tavern meze of fish roe, white bread and olive oil, whipped into an airy pink cream.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 120 g tarama (salted fish roe)
• 150 g white bread (stale, crust removed)
• 1 small onion
• 200 ml olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 8 olives
• 1/2 bunch dill

Instructions

1. Soak the crustless white bread in cold water for 5 min., then squeeze it out firmly by hand until it's just moist but not wet.
2. Finely grate the onion and collect the juice through a sieve; only the juice goes into the cream, otherwise it becomes lumpy.
3. Process the fish roe, bread, onion juice and the juice of one lemon in a food processor for 1 min. into a smooth, pale pink mass.
4. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a very thin stream – like a mayonnaise – until the cream is light, airy and holds its shape.
5. Season with the juice of the second lemon and pepper; salt is usually not needed, the roe brings enough. Chill for at least 1 hr.
6. Smooth into a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil, top with olives and picked dill and serve with toasted white bread.