Skip to content

Cod Roe substitute

Best substitute

Jarred Tarama or Salted Cod Roe

Use the same amount as the cod roe you are replacing

Best for taramasalata

Close match

For taramasalata, jarred tarama or salted cod roe is the same thing and swaps 1:1. Failing that, blend hot-smoked mackerel or smoked trout at 1:1 by weight and add one egg yolk or two tablespoons of thick yogurt to get the gloss back. Grated bottarga works but is much saltier and cannot emulsify on its own. For fried breakfast cod roe, soft herring roes are the traditional stand-in.

Other cod roe substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Cod Roe with ratios

  1. 2Hot-Smoked Mackerel or Smoked Trout

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight, plus 1 egg yolk or 2 tbsp thick yogurt per cup of dip

    Ready-to-eat smoked oily fish, blended into the dip in place of roe.

    What changes
    Best for
    taramasalata-style dips, spreads on toast, canapes

    The most available swap and a genuinely good dip. The smoke and salt land in the right place, but flaked fish will not whip oil the way roe does, so the result is more pate than mousse: thicker, matte and slightly grainy rather than glossy. An egg yolk or a couple of spoons of Greek yogurt restores most of the body and shine. Mackerel is punchier, trout is milder and sweeter.

  2. 3Bottarga (Grated Cured Mullet or Tuna Roe)

    Taste and texture differ

    2 tbsp grated, plus 1 egg yolk or 2 tbsp thick yogurt

    Hard, dry, salt-cured roe, grated like a hard cheese.

    What changes
    Best for
    dips with added body, pasta, finishing dishes

    Far more concentrated: drier, considerably saltier and sharper, with a stronger cured tang. On its own it will not emulsify, because the moisture and soft protein that make cod roe whip up have been dried out of it, so it needs a yolk or thick yogurt to carry it. Use half as much as you think and no extra salt.

  3. 4Soft Herring Roes (Milt)

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight

    The soft roes of herring, sold fresh or frozen, creamy and pale.

    What changes
    Best for
    the fried breakfast version, on toast, flouring and pan-frying

    The traditional alternative for fried roe on toast and an easy swap: flour, season and fry in butter for 2 minutes a side. They are much softer, creamier and considerably milder than firm pressed cod roe, so the slices do not hold their shape as neatly, and they need salt and plenty of lemon and cayenne to taste of anything.

  4. 5Salmon Roe or Lumpfish Caviar

    Taste and texture differ

    ⅓ cup blended into a yolk-and-oil base, or spooned over as garnish

    Discrete salted fish eggs, briny and bright.

    What changes
    Best for
    garnishing a dip, canapes, adding a salt-and-sea hit

    The flavour is in the right family but the structure is wrong: these eggs burst rather than emulsifying, so they cannot build the dip on their own. Blend them into a base of egg yolk, bread or potato and oil, or use them as a topping. Lumpfish caviar also bleeds grey dye into anything pale.

  5. 6Smoked Oysters or Tinned Cod Liver

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 2 tbsp for every cup of dip, plus 1 egg yolk

    Strong, oily, smoky tinned seafood used for flavour rather than structure.

    What changes
    Best for
    spreads, dips built on a yolk or potato base

    Use these for the smoke and richness only. They bring plenty of both, plus a heavier, more obviously oily flavour, and no emulsifying power at all, so the yolk or a boiled potato has to hold the dip together. Chop finely and blend hard or the texture goes lumpy.

What is Cod Roe?

Cod Roe is the egg sac of cod, sold either smoked and pressed firm in its skin for taramasalata or fresh and lightly salted for poaching, slicing and frying.

Cooking tips

  • If the smoked roe is very salty, soak it in milk or cold water for 20 to 30 minutes, then peel away the thin skin and any tough membrane. Skipping this is the usual reason a homemade taramasalata comes out inedibly salty.
  • Soaked white bread with the crusts off, or a plain boiled potato, is the body of a real taramasalata. Blend that with the roe first, then trickle in the oil, and only then add lemon juice, which thins the dip and will split it if it goes in early.
  • Add the oil in a slow stream exactly as you would for mayonnaise, roughly half a cup per 100g of roe. Dumped in at once it will break, and a broken dip is very hard to bring back.
  • Proper taramasalata is beige or pale grey-pink, not shocking pink. The bright colour in supermarket tubs is food dye, so do not judge your own by it.
  • For the fried breakfast version, buy roe that has already been poached and pressed, then chill it hard before slicing so the rounds hold together. Dust the slices in seasoned flour and fry in butter for about 2 minutes a side until the edges catch.

Frequently asked questions

What is taramasalata actually made from?

Cured fish roe, usually smoked or salted cod roe, blended with olive oil and either soaked bread or boiled potato, then finished with lemon juice and sometimes garlic. The roe supplies the salt, the smoke and the emulsifying power that turns the oil into a thick pale mousse.

Can I use caviar or salmon roe instead of cod roe?

Not as the base. Cod roe works because the eggs are tiny and bound together in a soft mass that whips oil into an emulsion, like an egg yolk. Salmon roe and caviar are separate eggs that burst, so they add salt and sea flavour but cannot build the dip. Use them as a garnish over a yolk-based version.

Is cod roe cooked?

It depends which one you bought. Smoked cod roe is cured and lightly smoked, and it is used as it is, without cooking. Fresh cod roe is normally poached whole and pressed before slicing and frying, and in Britain it is usually sold already poached. Read the label if you are unsure, because the two are not interchangeable in a recipe.

Can I just leave it out?

No. In taramasalata the roe is not a flavouring on top of a dip, it is the dip: the salt, the smoke and the structure all come from it. If you have none, make the same dip with blended hot-smoked mackerel plus an egg yolk, which is a genuinely good spread, rather than trying to fake it with plain fish.

Why is my taramasalata bitter or too salty?

Too salty almost always means the roe was not soaked before use, so give it 20 to 30 minutes in milk or water next time. Bitterness usually comes from the skin or membrane going into the blender, or from over-blending olive oil, which turns harsh and peppery when the blades hit it hard. Use a milder oil for the bulk and finish with the good stuff by hand.

Related substitutes

More seafood substitutes

Need a different ingredient?

Browse the full index, or the rest of this category.

Browse all substitutesMore seafood