Taramasalata


Taramasalata or taramosalata is a Greek meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe of the cod, carp, or grey mullet mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds. Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice. While not traditionally Greek, smoked, rather than cured, cod's roe is more widely available in some places, and often used. Bottarga is usually much more expensive than cod's roe.
Traditionally the dish is made with a pestle and mortar, giving a slightly grainy texture, but commercial taramasalata is commonly blended to a very smooth paste.
Taramasalata is usually served as a meze, often with ouzo, as a spread on bread. The colour can vary from creamy beige to pink, depending on the type of roe and colourings used. Most taramasalata sold commercially is dyed pink, but high quality taramasalata is always beige in colour.
In Greece, taramasalata is often served on Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent, with onions and lemon.

Etymology

Normally, tarama is the salted roe itself, but sometimes the prepared dish is also called tarama.
The spelling taramosalata reflects the Greek, but in English the a spelling is common.

Salată de icre

A similar dip or spread, salată de icre is also common in Romania and Bulgaria. It is made with pike or carp roe but generally with sunflower or vegetable oil instead of olive oil, sometimes with a thickener like white bread. It is mass-produced and is widely available in grocery shops and supermarkets, as well as being made at home, in which case chopped onions are commonly added.
A dip, fasole bătută or fasole făcăluită, prepared with mashed beans, sunflower oil, garlic and chopped onions, is sometimes called icre de fasole.