I told you that when spring arrived in New York you'd see a shad recipe here. Well we've had a string of days breaking the 70-degree barrier, so I guess it's about time. This morning I made a real Hudson Valley breakfast, with shad-roe scrambled eggs and a bacon-wrapped shad roe.

It all started with a single shad roe from Citarella.

The whole roe actually consists of two egg sacs connected by blood vessels and membranes, which must be cut away. Once that's done, you have two options: open the roe sac or leave it whole. The only conceivable reason for opening it, in my view, is to add it to scrambled eggs -- the egg grains within become tough and gritty if exposed to direct heat. That's why most recipes call for broiling or pan-frying a whole shad roe, often dredged in flour.

I decided to try it both ways. First, I wrapped one of the roe sacs in about five slices of Niman Ranch thick-cut bacon. When wrapping, it's a good idea to make sure the strips overlap and all the seams are on the same side of the roe, so it will hold together in the pan and the roe sac itself won't come into direct contact with the hot surface (which could cause it to scorch or split open). Place the bacon-wrapped roe seam-side down in a dry skillet on medium-low heat. It is very important to control the temperature; if the roe is overcooked it dries out and takes on a sandy texture as the egg grains within solidify. Just let the roe cook until the bacon on the underside appears to be cooked through and crisp on the outside (the seams should hold together when you tip it to the side with a spatula to check for doneness). Repeat on the other side, and remove the roe from heat as soon as the bacon is cooked through on the second side. The whole process will take 15 to 20 minutes.

When done, the roe should still be faintly red at the very center, and its texture will be creamy and smooth.

The flavor of shad roe is more calf's liver than caviar: bloody, fatty, with a strong hit of metallic iron flavor. That's why it pairs so well with bacon and onions; it's the liver of the sea (well, technically, the liver of the river; but that just sounds silly).

I sauteed some onions in the bacon drippings and then added three eggs scrambled with the other half of my shad roe, broken up into pieces, to complete another traditional shad roe dish. I don't believe I was as successful with this preparation; I found it difficult to gauge the proper temperature and I believe I overcooked the roe. The flavor of iron and fish fat was still present, but the texture was off. Better luck next time I guess. The shad season still has over a month to go.