Pan-Fried Fish Roe | Whole Roe Sacs Fried in Cornmeal

Hold the roe sacs in your palm and rinse them under a very gentle stream of water; direct, strong running water can tear the membrane. Gently scrape away any remaining blood vessels with your fingertip. Lay a paper towel over the sacs and blot by touching them lightly, without pressing.

Mix the cornmeal with the salt and black pepper on a wide plate. Roll each roe sac in the mixture 1 time, then gently shake off the excess. Excess flour will fall into the pan, burn, and darken the oil.

Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when a pinch of flour bubbles but does not immediately darken. Space out the roe sacs and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, turning each one exactly 1 time. They are cooked when the surface is golden and gives slight resistance when touched; turning them too often knocks off the crust.

Transfer the roe sacs to a wire strainer and let the excess oil drain off. Rub the thinly sliced red onion with a pinch of salt and squeeze out its juice, then mix it with sumac and chopped parsley. Plate the roe while hot, squeeze lemon over it, and serve with the onion salad.