Taramousalata

My whole family is absolutely obsessed with my Yiayia's Taramousalata. No longer can we eat it from the supermarket, and many restaurants and cafe's just buy it in bulk from Attiki, which is thick, gluttonous and very strong in the fishy flavour.

My Yiayia's, on the other hand, is light, fluffy, filled with the burst of lemon juice and has a much better balance of the fish roe flavour with all the other ingredients. Unlike many other recipes, she only uses potatoes to make the dip instead of bread, and I think the key to the lightness of the dip comes from her shredding the potatoes once cooked so they look like noodles, then folds them through the dip. It is a similar concept to stiffening egg whites and folding through a cake mixture, to achieve a lightness.

Well I am so glad I took the time to learn from her, although I still cannot manage to get it just like she does it, so we will continue to request it from her and demolish the whole bowl in about 3 days.

This is her recipe.

Yiayia's Taramousalata

Ingredients

200g Tarama Paste (available from middle eastern or European delis)
3 large potatoes
1 medium brown onion
1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin as it is too strong and will overpower the taste)
150mL lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil


Method

1. Peel 3 large potatoes and cut into quarters. Boil until cooked through but not mushy.

2. Grate 1 medium onion into a bowl on the smallest grate.

3. Add the tarama paste to the onion and mix together with a hand beater until combined.

4. Once the potatoes are cooked, mash or shred them, if you have the equipment.

5. Add the shredded potato to the tarama mix little by little with a hand blender.

6. Add the oil in ¼ cup increments and blend until combined.

7. Add the lemon juice gradually and then add the second type of olive oil. Be careful not to add too much liquid to make it runny.

8. Blend until smooth and creamy in texture.