Delicious Shad Recipes
For Elegant Table Fare

Use these delicious shad recipes for some of the best tasting fish dishes right in the comfort of your own home. They're easy to assemble and delightful to put down the hatch.

Whether it's the American or Atlantic shad, these river herring have a delicate flavor when properly cooked. They are a bit bony, so the fun part is to pick the nice flaky meat away from the bones as you chow down, or debone them before cooking.

The following recipes for shad are inspired by the graciousness of my grandmother in law. She is Italian and really loves to cook, and I think that you'll be able to pick out the tid bits of what Italians are famous for in their cooking. And I, of course, have added my own twist to these fish dishes as well.

Sensational Shad Recipes

Shad in Red Wine with Anchovie Sauce

Ingredients

1 whole shad
   (2-3 pounds, scaled and cleaned)
3 cups red wine
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
salt and pepper

Anchovie Sauce

3 cups heavy cream
2 anchovy fillets
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch of chopped fresh chives

Pre-heat oven to 250°. Place the shad in a baking dish. Add the red wine, shallots, and season with salt and pepper to desired taste. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the skin from the fish, set it aside and keep it warm on a serving platter. Then strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan.

Boil the liquid into a reduction of about 4-5 tablespoons. Mix in the heavy cream and boil for about 10 minutes. Toss in the anchovie fillets and whisk in the butter. The anchovies should dissipate into the sauce.

Drizzle the sauce onto the fish and sprinkle with the chopped chives. I like to serve this fish dish with garlic and herb smashed or baked potatoes along with asparagus.

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Stuffed Shad "Rap"

Ingredients

2 whole shad
   (2 pounds in all, scaled and cleaned)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 carrot, finely grated
1 yellow onion, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
2 lemons
salt and pepper

Stuffing

2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper

For the stuffing, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.

Meanwhile, in another pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add the carrots, onions, celery, water, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes.

Place each shad on a square piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, and season with salt and pepper. Fill the cavities of the shad with the mushroom stuffing mixture. Then cover the fish with the sauteed vegetables. Wrap the fish tightly in the aluminum foil.

Place the foil wrapped shad on a shallow baking pan and cook for 10 minutes in a 425°F pre-heated oven, or until done. Transfer to serving plates and serve with lemon wedges or squeezed lemon juice with melted butter.

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Tips for additional shad recipes: If you happen to come across a spawning female shad, consider keeping the roe. The shad roe is considered a delicacy and should be cooked precautiously.

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