This creamy dip is made from tarama, the salted (and sometimes smoked) roe of mullet or other fish (we usually see it made from cod or salmon roe). Serve it with strips of fresh vegetables, like cucumber, red pepper, carrot, and celery, toasted pita bread, or both.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8 servings

　　3 or 4 slices good white bread, preferably stale

　　2 or 3 garlic cloves, to taste, peeled

　　One 7- or 8-ounce jar tarama

　　Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

　　About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　Salt and black pepper, if necessary

　　

Step 1

Soak the bread in water to cover while you prepare the other ingredients. When it’s soft, squeeze the water from it and put it in a food processor with the garlic, tarama, and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.

　　

Step 2

Turn the machine on and add olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste and add more lemon juice, oil, or garlic if you like; you may also add a little salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a couple of days before serving.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.