Ikura No Shoyuzuke (Soy Sauce Cured Salmon Roe)

1 large very fresh sac of salmon roe (about 7 ounces)
½ cup sake
2 tablespoons high-quality soy sauce

Set a medium-sized bowl in the kitchen sink and fill with warm, not hot water. Submerge the egg sac in the water and gently pry the roe from the outer membrane. Remove the membrane tendrils from among the eggs. Drain the eggs as you go in a wire-mesh strainer.

Dump the milky water used to soak the sacs.  In a bowl pour in the sake and let salmon roe soak for at least 30 minutes. Drain and discard.  Add the soy sauce, and taste. Add a dash or more soy sauce, to taste. The roe should be balanced between their  sweetness and the  soy sauce but should not be too salty.  Serve as an appetizer in a small, bowl with soy sauce and chopsticks alongside.

it’s lightly cured so it’s quite perishable.

Garnish with a little slivered yuzu or Meyer lemon peel, if you like.