Nigel Slater’s midweek dinner: whipped smoked cod’s roe

Even the best-quality supermarket brands of whipped cod’s roe taste nothing like what you can make at home. Fishmongers and delicatessens are the best places to track down smoked cod’s roe, and it is easy to find online. A whole piece of smoked roe will freeze well. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before using. Enough for 6. Ready in 30 minutes

Crumble 75g of white bread into a small bowl and pour in 100ml of cold water and set aside.

Remove the skin from 250g of smoked cod’s roe. You can either peel it off with a knife or scrape the roe from the skin with a spoon.

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. You will need about 50ml. Squeeze the water from the bread with your hands, then put the crumbs into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the smoked cod’s roe, a good pinch of smoked paprika and the lemon juice, then start whisking. Introduce 500ml of vegetable oil, slowly at first, as if you are making mayonnaise, then increasing the volume as it starts to thicken. When you have a thick cream, whisk in 2 tbsp of cold water. Serve in a bowl, trickled with a little olive oil if you wish, or perhaps some chilli oil, which works a treat with the salty, creamy dip.

• Occasionally, the cod’s roe can be difficult to peel, especially if the skin is very fine. The easiest way to remove it is to slice the roe in half, then scrape the roe from the skin with a spoon.
• The whipped roe will keep for a good few days in a sealed pot in the fridge.
• No seasoning is needed, the roe is salty enough as it is, but you may like to add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the dip as you are beating
• A spoonful makes a fine accompaniment to crisp fish cakes or croquettes or deep-fried squid rings.

Photograph by Jonathan Lovekin