When the Lord made shad,
The devil was mad
For it seemed such a feast of delight;
So to poison the scheme
He jumped in the stream,
And stuck in the bones out of spite!
Old Fisherman’s poem

Shad, is a member of the herring family and was a historically important food fish to the Native Americans. Micmac legend has it that the shad was a discontent porcupine who asked the Great Spirit, Manitou, to transform him. His wish was granted and he was turned inside out to become the shad! Makes perfect sense, being that the shad has 769 thin, Y-shaped bones. Washington’s troops were saved from starvation by an early false Spring that encouraged thousands of shad to swim up the Delaware and to smaller creeks that ran right by Valley Forge. No doubt they didn’t mind the bones but you don’t have to contend with them to enjoy shad. A sure sign of Spring is the arrival of shad roe here at Harbor Fish Market. Most definitely not the most attractive edibles, the translucent egg sacs hold small, reddish-orange eggs which are quite the delicacy to many. Shad roe has a grainy texture similar to grits and is mildly sweet and briny yet will take on the flavor of what you cook it in. Cooking it with bacon seems to be a preferred method, Crispy Shad Roe with Bacon and Capers. Come now, what doesn’t taste great with bacon? Be brazen and give shad roe a chance!