Greek taramosalata

Taramosalata is the blushing star of the Greek meze table: a silky emulsion of salted fish roe (tarama), bread, olive oil and lemon — briny, tangy and impossible to stop scooping once the warm pita arrives.

It is the essential dish of Clean Monday, the start of Greek Lent, when the table goes meat-free but celebration continues undeterred.

The authentic color is pale pink to beige — neon-pink supermarket versions have dye to answer for. Made at home in ten minutes, it tastes like the seaside taverna you wish you were at.

Taramosalata Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: no cooking · Total: 10 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~118 per serving

Ingredients

• 4 oz tarama (salted cod or carp roe)
• 4 to 5 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 small onion, finely grated (optional)
• Water, for soaking the bread

Instructions

1. Soak the bread in water until soft, then squeeze it out well.
2. Blend the tarama with the grated onion until smooth.
3. Add the soaked bread gradually, blending after each addition.
4. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly, then the lemon juice, until creamy and smooth.
5. Taste — more lemon is usually the right answer.
6. Serve drizzled with olive oil, with warm pita or fresh vegetables.

Recipe Notes

• Tarama lives in jars at Greek and Middle Eastern markets — white (carp) tarama is prized for flavor.
• Soaked potato instead of bread makes a gluten-free version with a silkier body.
• It keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated, and improves overnight as the flavors marry.