Taramosalata is one of the great Greek meze recipes. With ingredients like rich tarama (fish roe), extra virgin olive oil, bread, and lemons, it is creamy and delicious. The perfect representative of Lenten food, taramosalata is also enjoyed throughout the year.
If you love this taramosalata, you will also love this Greek fava dip, tzatziki sauce, or the spicy feta dip!
Why you will love taramosalata
Here is what you need
- Fish roe, taramas. It is salted and cured carp or cod roe.
- Lemons. For their juice and zest.
- Fresh dill. Optional. I like a bit of chopped dill on top for the color and a gentle fresh note.
- Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Optional. I usually don’t season my taramosalata because taramas is already salty.
How to make it
STEP 1. Soak the bread in plenty of water. Squeeze it with your hands to remove most of the water. (You can place the bread in a kitchen towel, wrap it, and squeeze until all liquid is out.)
Zest and extract the juice from two lemons.
Using a food processor, grate a small onion. Add in the fish roe, lemon zest and the lemon juice and beat until creamy.
Step 2. Add the bread, and start beating…
STEP 3. …and gradually pour the olive oil.
Taramosalata is ready!
Taramosalata Q&A
It is the salted and cured cod, carp, or grey mullet roe.
You can find tarama at Greek grocery shops and Mediterranean delis, Amazon, and Instacart.
The color can vary from creamy beige to pink, depending on the type of roe used. Mass-produced taramosalata is often pink due to the addition of food coloring and low-cost ingredients.
Taramosalata (or taramasalata as it is sometimes wrongly called) is a delicious spread made with tarama.
How to serve taramosalata
Pour dip into a bowl, sprinkle lemon zest and chopped dill if you like, and serve tapas style with greek bread with oregano and olive oil, cut-up pita, roasted Greek beans, and marinated olives with feta.
More Greek dips
Taramosalata
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 120 gr fish roe tarama. 4.2 oz
- 200 gr stale bread with no crust. About ¾ of a cup , soaked with water removed
- 80 ml fresh lemon juice or the juice from two lemons
- 300 ml extra virgin olive oil Approximately 1.2 cups
- 1 small size onion or half a regular size onion
For serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill optional
- lemon zest
Instructions
- Soak the bread in plenty of water. Squeeze with your hands to remove most of the liquid. (You can place the bread in a kitchen towel, wrap and squeeze until all liquid is out).
- Zest and extract the juice from two lemons.
- Using a food processor, grate a small onion.
- Add in the fish roe and the lemon juice and beat until creamy.
- Add the bread, start beating, and gradually pour the olive oil. Pulse until the taramosalata is creamy, like mayonnaise.The longer you beat, the creamier it will get. Check the texture with a spoon and pulse to your liking.
- Pour dip into a bowl, sprinkle lemon zest, and chopped dill if you like, and serve tapas style with bread, crackers, and olives.
Notes
- Use good quality bread. Avoid over-processed white bread. I use leftover sourdough bread.
- Some recipes use vegetable oil for this dip. Not me. I avoid vegetable oils, as a rule, I leave them for deep frying. Extra virgin olive oil tastes better, feels fresher, and is good for you.
- You can add a clove of garlic with the onion.
Nutrition
Yum yum! I bought a jar of roe from Titan the other day. This recipe was god sent! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe, Jenny. I made this yesterday for brunch and everybody absolutely loved it! A keeper!
I have not heard of this dip before, but sounds like a fun one to try! Thanks for the recipe share!
This recipe sounds very interesting! In the midwest, we don’t have a lot of fish options, so I am going to have to keep my eye out for fish roe.
Such a great-looking greek dip recipe! It looks so delicious and very appealing! The color and creamy texture look perfect and added a tempting vibe to this!
It looks like a good and tasty dip to make, and this sounds like a perfect dip for my veggie snacks.
Oh wow, this is perfect! I am so excited to make this this weekend. Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
This dip turned out wonderful, and I wasn’t too sure how the fish roe would make it taste but it was delicious. Great for serving with crackers, olives, and homemade pita bread.
This dip turned out delicious. I made it with sourdough bread as suggested and added a garlic clove to the processor with the onion. It tasted great!
This taramosalata is a simple snack or appetizer that has the best combination of flavors. The lemon adds a zesty bite to it that I love.
Thanks so much Sharon!
I love taramosalata and have had it in Greece and the UK where it’s popular! But I never realized it’s made with bread and in a very similar way to Italian pesto! It’s not so easy to find cod or carp roe where I live but mullet roe is a possibility. Going to ask the fishmonger!
Hi Jaqueline,
mullet roe can work!
Thank you so much, x Jenn
I made this and I love how easy this recipe is. Everyone in our house loves it!
Taramosalata was shipped to me in Florida without ice. Is it dangerous to eat?
Hi Diane,
Better be safe than sorry. It would be best to purchase it from a local store if possible. I understand it’s not easy to find locally sometimes.
Since it is seafood based I would not consume it if it has been out of the refrigerator for a while.
x Jenny