What Is Smelt Eggs?

In answer to the question what are smelt eggs?; they are small fish roe. The smelt fish is found all over the Atlantic and smelt eggs in Japan are called Masago.

Smelt eggs are a popular ingredient in sushi dishes and are often served in sushi rolls in Japanese restaurants. The smelt roe is often a dark orange color, although sometimes can be a reddish orange.

• Smelt Fish

The smelt fish that the eggs come from:

• Are slender in form
• Have a long pointed head
• Have a large mouth
• Range in color from a transparent olive green to a bottle green with a silvery band running down the length of its body
• Can grow between 7-14 inches and weigh between 1-6 ounces

• Sushi

Sushi is a Japanese delicacy that is commonly made up of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients such as raw fish and vegetables. This is often served wrapped in dried seaweed. You can get many different types of sushi and it has changed a lot since it was first made in approximately 1336 AD which is when they first incorporated rice and vinegar.

The most well known type of sushi is raw fish but there is a lot more to sushi then that. You can get raw meat, vegetables and even tofu sushi. This type of food is becoming more and more popular around the world as more people are trying new foods.

Smelt is a cold fresh water fish. Lake Superior is full of them. Early in the spring they leave
the lake and head up the many streams and rivers to spawn. They swim up waterfalls, rapids, etc. To lay their eggs which is called spawn. They are very good to eat especially smoked.