Greek Taramasalata (Traditional Fish Roe Dip)
Ever tried making a taramasalata at home, only to end up with a dip that's too salty or not creamy enough? You're not alone! Crafting this traditional Greek fish roe dip can be tricky, but with a few simple tweaks, you can avoid common pitfalls and create a perfect, silky taramosalata every time. In this post, I'll share some expert tips and fixes for the most frequent mistakes, ensuring this meze dish is always a hit.
Servings: 38 servings (tablespoons)
Calories: 73kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ red onion optional - see note #1
- 4 slices white bread see note #2
- 3 tablespoons white tarama (fish roe) see note #3
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, you may need more
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil mild - see note #4
- 1 cup sunflower oil or corn oil
Instructions
- Transfer the onion and the water to a food processor or mini chopper and process well. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl and discard the onion pieces.*This step is optional. You can use the onion as is. However, using only the onion water makes the taramasalata lighter.
- Transfer the bread, the tarama, the onion water, the lemon juice and the olive oil to a food processor and blend until everything is smooth.
- With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream. As you add the oil the mixture will start to thicken (it's the same thing as making mayonnaise). Scrape the bowl with a spatula and process for one more minute.
- Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. If it tastes too salty, add some more oil. If it's not salty enough, add some salt. Serve with black olives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Video
Notes
Note #1: The onion is optional. You can't really taste it, but if you hate it's flavor you can omit it altogether.
Note #2: The traditional way for how to make taramasalata recipe is to soak stale bread (with the crust removed) with cold water and squeeze it to remove the extra moisture. However, this way you can't really now how much water you've used. That's why I add the bread and the water separately, after I've weighted them. You can use whatever white bread you prefer, but sandwich bread, being softer, will make the taramasalata very smooth and velvety (plus you don't have to remove the crust). If you use a crusty bread, remove the crust for a smoother result.
Note #3: White tarama is not exactly white but beige in color. It's called white to differentiate it from the pink tarama. This recipe makes a mild-tasting taramasalata. If you prefer a stronger taste, you can increase the tarama by 1 tablespoon. The quality of the tarama (fish roe) plays a great role in the final outcome. If you can't find fish roe from cod, carp or pollock, the next best option is to make a taramasalata version with salmon roe (but it will not be the same).
Note #4: Olive oil is optional, you can replace it with vegetable oil.
Note #5: Garlic is not traditionally used in Greek taramosalata!
Nutrition
Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg
