How to Brine Salmon Eggs

If you fish for your own salmon, there's a good chance-about 50/50-that you will catch a a female. Since they are headed upriver to spawn, this means eggs. These orange clusters harbor the highest source of Omega-3's that can be found. They are 3.5 times higher than salmon itself. Increased brain power, fertility, and heart strengthening are just some of the benefits. They are also delicious and add a briny, rich pop to lots of different dishes. They go great with avocado so top quinoa with a tablespoon of these and slivers of avocado. Or make nori chips with avocado and salmon roe. Put them on toast corners with creme fraiche, top hard boiled eggs with them, mix them with soba noodles, or put them on bibimbop, as pictured here. They are known as Ikura in sushi restaurants, and sometimes called salmon caviar.

I'll soon be posting an Instructable on how to catch a salmon, but I did not get pictures of removing the eggs, as my hands were too gooey. Also, if you have friends who fish, ask them to save the eggs for you. Most commercial fishermen toss them out immediately, so they are hard to come by at a fish counter.

First, remove them carefully from the salmon and keep them cool and leave them intact in their egg sacks until you get to your kitchen.

Dissolve Salt Into Water

Add 1 cup of salt per skein into water that's slightly warmer than room temperature. (Around 100 degrees)

Add Skeins to Salt Water

Rinse off your skein, and then add it to the salt water solution. Make sure the eggs are completely submerged and let them sit for 30 minutes. They will turn a cloudy, orangish color.

Remove Eggs From the Brine and Skein

Remove the skeins from the brine and rinse them off. There are lots of little membranes holding the eggs together. Rubbing them over a grate, or even a tennis racket can help loosen the eggs. Once they are free of membranes, put them in a clean jar that seals well.

Add Flavors

These eggs are good on their own, but you can also add a lemon rind or mix up some tamari, mirin, and sake and add this to the eggs. Store them for 2-3 weeks in the fridge, or freeze them for 6 months.