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I recieved a PM last night from someone about how I cure my roe, so I figured I would share one of my recipes.
This is a cure I use for Chinook fishing, it can be made simply and overnight and definately is high on the Chinook salmons favorites list. I have omitted a few ingredients(my secrets) that are flavour enhancers and optional, and are not needed to have a top quality cure.
First you must have quality eggs, forget pre frozen commercial crap or stuff that sat in blood in a big bin of roe, this stuff may have good appearance, but Roe is about freshness and smell and that crap is GARBAGE.
For good ROE immediately remove skeins from your fish after killing, very quickly wash away any blood or sand from the eggs and place in a zip loc bag(always carry these). From here your ROE must be placed on ice quickly as the degrading process has already begun. Sooner is better, thats the rule.
I always get to curing as soon as I arrive home, despite being bagged from a hard days fishing, the promise of better days ahead with SUPER roe is all the motivation needed.
First I take the skeins and cut them so that they are opened up(butterflied), next I will cut into strips, that are about 1.5 inches wide with a good piece of skein(skin) left on them. For Chinook I like to have very large chunks of roe, because it does make a difference.
I cut the chunks into a Stainless steel bowl, as these bowls will not transmit smell like a plastic one can.
Now,depending on the amount of eggs, you start to add ingredients. Rule here is make enough liquid cure to submerge all eggs, too much cure will be wasted if you make a HUGE batch, so experiment.
Now in a seperate SS bowl you will make up your cure.
First I add 1/2 cup of BORAX, then a 1/2 cup of sea salt(or rock salt), then a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Now add water slowly and stir. You should end up with a mixture that is rather thick, not thin as water.
Now add a few squirts of liquid ANISE, not tackle store stuff, the real deal, spice section of Safeway.
Now for color I use BAD AZZ BAIT DYE, be vewy vewy careful, this stuff is highly concentrated, hurts to breathe and will stain your wifes stuff FOREVER, be warned.
I use a variety of the different colored dyes to achieve my favorite eggs, bright and red are a good start.
Slowly add in small portions of bait dye, a 1/4 tea spoon at a time. Once you have achieved your desired color you are almost done.
Now I add a good shaking of either " MONSTER BITE" or "SLAM OLA" powder made by pro cure, these are flavor enhancers and bite stimulators that use chemical formulas that can increase the bite. They are not a required part of the cure, but I use them.
At this point you should have a soupy mixture that is ready for your egg chunks.
Now simply add your eggs and stir gently until all eggs are fully submerged in the sauce.
Now cover with saran wrap, using a large elastic to seal the top, we do not want last nights left overs smell to infiltrate our SUPER EGGS.
I will leave in the fridge for about 4 hours, sloshing things around occassionally.
Now you will come to the tricky part, drying out the egg chunks.
This will vary depending on egg use, less dry time produces a hard milking egg that is good in slower water, for swifter rivers I prefer a slightly tougher egg, and will dry it longer. NEVER EVER let the eggs get hard or crunchy feeling, if you have your cure is now becoming crappy. Your eggs should never go beyond rubbery, often mine will be wet and a little rubbery.
At this point you should strain your eggs in a Stainless steel strainer, usually I leave for 1'2 an hour.
Do not waste your cure, strain into your other Stainless steel bowl, we will be using this prime cure later.
I lay out newspaper, on a large table in a comfy room temperature atmosphere. In the middle of the newspaper I make a pile of BORAX. Next I take the strained egg chunks and roll each piece in the BORAX and place in neat rows on the newspaper. Once I am done I will check them every hour until I like the feel,then I turn each piece and dry the other side.
Once you are satisfied with the feel of your eggs store them in a large NEW rubbermaid with a very good supply of BORAX, they should be nice and dry in the BORAX and not turning the BORAX to wet powder.
This I will keep in the bait fridge for a few weeks while I use the eggs.
If you cannot use them all quickly you will need to freeze them.
For freezing the eggs, get some unused canning jars, fill each jar about 3/4 full of eggs and BORAX mix and place a candle in the jar, now light the candle and quickly screw the lid shut. The top should suck down and pop, showing it has sealed.
Now mark the jar with date and cure and place in freezer. These eggs should be good for 2 years in this state.
Now with your bowl of cure, take a few big bags of raw peeled prawns, cut into small pieces about the size of a finger nail and soak the prawns for 6 hours. These prawns are then placed on the hook tip of JIGS to increase your success and allow BAIT ADDICTS to overcome the transition of fishing only fur and feathers for Salmon and steelhead :thumbup:.
Bent Rods and Tight Lines.
This is a cure I use for Chinook fishing, it can be made simply and overnight and definately is high on the Chinook salmons favorites list. I have omitted a few ingredients(my secrets) that are flavour enhancers and optional, and are not needed to have a top quality cure.
First you must have quality eggs, forget pre frozen commercial crap or stuff that sat in blood in a big bin of roe, this stuff may have good appearance, but Roe is about freshness and smell and that crap is GARBAGE.
For good ROE immediately remove skeins from your fish after killing, very quickly wash away any blood or sand from the eggs and place in a zip loc bag(always carry these). From here your ROE must be placed on ice quickly as the degrading process has already begun. Sooner is better, thats the rule.
I always get to curing as soon as I arrive home, despite being bagged from a hard days fishing, the promise of better days ahead with SUPER roe is all the motivation needed.
First I take the skeins and cut them so that they are opened up(butterflied), next I will cut into strips, that are about 1.5 inches wide with a good piece of skein(skin) left on them. For Chinook I like to have very large chunks of roe, because it does make a difference.
I cut the chunks into a Stainless steel bowl, as these bowls will not transmit smell like a plastic one can.
Now,depending on the amount of eggs, you start to add ingredients. Rule here is make enough liquid cure to submerge all eggs, too much cure will be wasted if you make a HUGE batch, so experiment.
Now in a seperate SS bowl you will make up your cure.
First I add 1/2 cup of BORAX, then a 1/2 cup of sea salt(or rock salt), then a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Now add water slowly and stir. You should end up with a mixture that is rather thick, not thin as water.
Now add a few squirts of liquid ANISE, not tackle store stuff, the real deal, spice section of Safeway.
Now for color I use BAD AZZ BAIT DYE, be vewy vewy careful, this stuff is highly concentrated, hurts to breathe and will stain your wifes stuff FOREVER, be warned.
I use a variety of the different colored dyes to achieve my favorite eggs, bright and red are a good start.
Slowly add in small portions of bait dye, a 1/4 tea spoon at a time. Once you have achieved your desired color you are almost done.
Now I add a good shaking of either " MONSTER BITE" or "SLAM OLA" powder made by pro cure, these are flavor enhancers and bite stimulators that use chemical formulas that can increase the bite. They are not a required part of the cure, but I use them.
At this point you should have a soupy mixture that is ready for your egg chunks.
Now simply add your eggs and stir gently until all eggs are fully submerged in the sauce.
Now cover with saran wrap, using a large elastic to seal the top, we do not want last nights left overs smell to infiltrate our SUPER EGGS.
I will leave in the fridge for about 4 hours, sloshing things around occassionally.
Now you will come to the tricky part, drying out the egg chunks.
This will vary depending on egg use, less dry time produces a hard milking egg that is good in slower water, for swifter rivers I prefer a slightly tougher egg, and will dry it longer. NEVER EVER let the eggs get hard or crunchy feeling, if you have your cure is now becoming crappy. Your eggs should never go beyond rubbery, often mine will be wet and a little rubbery.
At this point you should strain your eggs in a Stainless steel strainer, usually I leave for 1'2 an hour.
Do not waste your cure, strain into your other Stainless steel bowl, we will be using this prime cure later.
I lay out newspaper, on a large table in a comfy room temperature atmosphere. In the middle of the newspaper I make a pile of BORAX. Next I take the strained egg chunks and roll each piece in the BORAX and place in neat rows on the newspaper. Once I am done I will check them every hour until I like the feel,then I turn each piece and dry the other side.
Once you are satisfied with the feel of your eggs store them in a large NEW rubbermaid with a very good supply of BORAX, they should be nice and dry in the BORAX and not turning the BORAX to wet powder.
This I will keep in the bait fridge for a few weeks while I use the eggs.
If you cannot use them all quickly you will need to freeze them.
For freezing the eggs, get some unused canning jars, fill each jar about 3/4 full of eggs and BORAX mix and place a candle in the jar, now light the candle and quickly screw the lid shut. The top should suck down and pop, showing it has sealed.
Now mark the jar with date and cure and place in freezer. These eggs should be good for 2 years in this state.
Now with your bowl of cure, take a few big bags of raw peeled prawns, cut into small pieces about the size of a finger nail and soak the prawns for 6 hours. These prawns are then placed on the hook tip of JIGS to increase your success and allow BAIT ADDICTS to overcome the transition of fishing only fur and feathers for Salmon and steelhead :thumbup:.
Bent Rods and Tight Lines.
