How to eat ikura: raw, cured or cooked

Ikura, or salmon roe, is almost always eaten as it comes: cured, cold and uncooked. Here are the best ways to enjoy it, and what happens if you heat it.

Cured, not raw from the fish

The ikura you buy is not fresh from the fish. It has been separated from the egg sac and cured in salt or in a soy-based marinade. That cure is what makes it safe and tasty to eat as it is. See what is ikura.

The best ways to eat it

• Ikura don. A bowl of warm, steamed rice topped with ikura, with a little nori and wasabi. This is the classic.
• Gunkan maki. A small oval of sushi rice wrapped in seaweed and filled with ikura.
• On toast or blini. With butter, cream cheese or crème fraîche.
• With grated daikon. A traditional pairing, which adds freshness.
• On eggs. Over a soft-boiled egg or on top of an omelet.
• With noodles or pasta. Stirred in at the end, or placed on top.

Should you cook it?

Ikura is meant to be eaten uncooked. When heated, the pearls turn opaque, firm up and lose their juicy burst. If you add it to a hot dish, add it at the end and let the heat of the food warm it, instead of cooking it.

Serving tips

• Serve it cold or at room temperature, straight from the refrigerator.
• Use a clean, dry spoon, and don't let it sit out for more than an hour or two.
• Drain off extra liquid before serving, so it doesn't soak the rice.
• Keep other flavors mild, so the roe stays the star.

What to drink

Dry sake, cold beer, dry sparkling wine or green tea all work well.

Storage

See how to store ikura for how to keep it fresh.

Ikura and caviar

Sturgeon caviar is served differently. It is kept very cold, served on ice with a non-metal spoon, and eaten plain or with blini. See sturgeon caviar vs salmon roe. It isn't suitable for anyone with a fish allergy. See caviar and allergies.

Opus Caviar sells Kaluga Hybrid sturgeon caviar, not ikura, and it is opening soon with same-day courier delivery across the South Bay. Join the list to be first to order.