Photograph: Erkan Said

Shad to the bone Springtime is spawn time for the American shad, which spend most of their lives in the sea and then work their way back up the rivers of the East Coast during what fishermen refer to as “the spawning run.” The big, bony herring native to the Northeast are so inextricably intertwined with American history that John McPhee wrote a book about shad and called it The Founding Fish. New Yorkers have been complaining of shad decline since the 19th century, and numbers have been decreasing steadily each year: Commercial dams, overfishing, changing water temperatures and pollution each play a part. Until the activity was banned three years ago, coastal fishers intercepted the shad in ocean waters before they even had the chance to spawn, selling their catch in advance of the official start of the season.Rules are tightening in an effort to restore the Hudson population, and—who knows?—if all goes well, local shad roe, the delicacy of egg-filled ovaries, might make an appearance later in the season, which typically ends in May. In the meantime, wild roe from North Carolina is available at Wild Edibles (Grand Central Market, Lexington Ave at 43rd St; 212-687-4255) for $21 a pair. Don’t be frightened by the slippery veined pouches: They’re nature’s caviar sausages. Snip the delicate membrane carefully between the lobes without breaking the skin, and gently rinse them off. Pat them dry, dredge in flour and fry gently in rendered bacon fat or butter. Let it color, but keep it medium-rare or those thousands of moist pink eggs dry out. The intensely fishy, pleasantly bitter roe doesn’t need much in the way of fixings—though you can’t go wrong with a squeeze of lemon.

—Tejal Rao