I adore taramosalata.
I’ve always made a version with potatoes instead of breadcrumbs, but my original recipe makes an enormous quantity – far more than should be eaten at the one time. And that’s the problem with taramosalata – it’s hard to stop eating it until it’s all gone.
Over the years I’ve fiddled with the recipe, reducing the added oil as much as I can without compromising the flavour too much. I’ve also increased the lemon juice, as I find the acidity helps cut through the richness of the fish roe.
These days I make a small batch of taramosalata, just for me. It’s the right amount to satisfy a craving!
- 1 large white-fleshed potato
- 50g tarama paste (roe)
- 2 tablespoons (8 teaspoons) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ small white onion, chopped
- Boiling water
1. Peel the potato, cut it into chunks and microwave until tender (this should only take a few minutes).
2. In the small bowl of the food processor, blitz together the onion, tarama paste, lemon juice, white vinegar and olive oil. Pulse until relatively smooth.
3. Add the potato chunks, a few at a time, adding a little boiling water as you go, pulsing to combine. Add the rest of the potatoes and as much boiling water as needed to ensure the finished dip is smooth and quite runny – it will firm up a little in the fridge. The amount of water needed will depend on the type of potato you use – some absorb more liquid than others.
Note: the original recipe used twice as much olive oil as water, which definitely made for a more luscious dip! These quantities make approximately a cup and a half of taramosalata.
PS. For all the folks who have asked below, here’s what the tarama roe looks like. Over here, it’s usually available at Greek or Continental delis…
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Fantastic – never knew how to do this!
Em, it’s very moreish! We can easily buy tarama paste at delis here – is it available where you are?
Sounds great, Celia. I don’t think I have ever eaten taramosalata that I can recall. Love it when you can work out a recipe for one.
Lizzy, to be fair, it’s a batch for one person over a few days. Even I struggle with a cup and a half of taramasolata! :)
I haven’t ever eaten it either.
It sure looks and sounds good. Is it a bread or vegetable kind of dip?
Heidi, it’s a traditional Greek dip made with codfish roe. Most versions are made with breadcrumbs, but we’ve always used this one which is made with potato. I made a huge batch the last time my brother-in-law Ray was in town, and he and I nearly made ourselves sick on it.. :)
Good idea to post a small qty recipe, just enough for the two of us, I too am guilty of eating too much, specially when I make baba ganoush and hoummos, it is so hard to make it in small amounts.
Roz, some of the dips freeze quite well – I always freeze my excess hommus and I’m pretty sure I’ve frozen baba ganoush in the past as well. Doesn’t work too well with the taramasolata, unfortunately!
I love that you’ve re-invented it in a single serve. I should probably learn to make some of my favourites in single serves. Might save me a bit of guilt.
Claire, it’s still a very generous single serve. But it’s helps me stick to the moderate eating rule – the one that says “never eat a meal bigger than your head”. :)
Oh I wish you hadn’t posted this. I have been obsessed with eating taramasolata for the last few weeks…and was nearly getting over the addiction. AND you have revealed the fact that it has so much oil in it and therefore I should not be eating it in the quantities i have been consuming lately. I have been heading over to this fantastic turkish pizza place which makes a superb version – buying a tub of it and eating it slathered on warm turkish bread. YUM. When I buy it I do think of you and think that I must try out your recipe…..
Sorry SG, didn’t mean to do that to you. But hey, my version is gluten-free! And I like it best on corn chips, but maybe we should go there.. ;-)
Oh yum thanks for sharing Celia…I love taramasolata, it is one of my favourites with some good bread :)
Jane, mine too! I love it just a little too much. This version isn’t nearly as moreish as the lush oil-rich ones you can buy from delis – it’s more like a flavoured mash – but it isn’t nearly as evil. I tell myself I’m just eating eggs and potatoes.. ;-)
Sounds very nice, I haven’t heard of it will have to give it a try soon.:)
Shirley, hope you enjoy it! Maybe try a bought version first to see if you like it? :)
You have a few fellow addicts. A great service you have done the community Celia..!!
Thanks T, that’s one of the things I like most about blogging. Just when I figure I’m the only tarama-addicted crazy woman, you all chime in to keep me company! :D
Oh perfect :) I find that when you make a batch, its so massive that its hard to get through it all in time.
Nic, that’s so true. Doesn’t stop me from trying though.. ;-)
What a pretty bowl Celia. The dip does have great flavours. I haven’t tried it with potato – unless someone slipped some in when I wasn’t looking. What a great ‘snack for one’. xx
Charlie, there is a wonderful shop in Crows Nest that sells all these gorgeous Turkish bowls – I wrote about them here:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/02/ceramics/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/12/09/little-christmas-g1veaway-3/
I think they’re still there, but it’s worth giving Metin a call to double check. If not, he’s at the Orange Grove Markets every month.
I think potato is an unusual thickener, bread is more common, although one of the commercial taramasolatas now uses chick peas!
Hi Celia, I’ve been following your blog for a while now and, apart from the inspiration I find in it (I have 250g of vanilla beans on their way for a long neglected bottle of vodka and I just happened to have 5 egg whites sitting in the fridge – hey presto chocolate meringues) I also love where it leads me to – I’ve just founds beef ribs from Charlie from Hotly Spiced plus I still have some of Diana’s garlic left. Thanks for your sharing, it’s like a lucky dip when you put up a new post and the prizes are always great.
Jo, this is one of the nicest comments I’ve ever received, thank you so much! It’s incredibly rewarding to know that folks are finding the blog useful! And you’ve mentioned two of my favourite people – both Charlie (whom I’ve only just recently met in person) and Diana (whom I’ve known for over a decade) are absolutely gorgeous!
I have never seen tarama paste out here.. Miserable! This sounds much better with the potato.. have a lovely day celia.. celi
Celi, thank you! I reckon you could order some from Amazon if you really wanted – I’m starting to think that it’s possible to buy just about anything from there! :)
Hope you’re having a good one too!
Great idea to cut back the oil while still leaving the yummy in! Terrific Celia!
Becca, AND it’s gluten-free! :) I adore it with corn thins… xx
This has to be one of my favourite snacks, I will have to look for tarama paste :)
Tandy, I hope you find some! It’s my all time favourite dip!
I can’t wait to try this! I love recipes for one- making food for only me always feels special and decadent, especially at the end of a long day with a glass of wine and my fiance working late(: Thank you for this.
Haley, we’ve had quite a few dinners which are simply an assortment of dips and a loaf of sourdough. Some of the best meals ever, come to think of it! :)
Lovely recipe thanks Celia. I’ve never made it myself, but love it as do the kids. I’ve always been fairly sure that it takes a lot of oil to make it that good, too. Nice to see such a great low-oil alternative.
Amanda, I hope you do try it, but it’s nowhere near as rich and luscious as the traditional versions. Having said that, it’s always very popular with guests! :)
I love it too – sadly my family doesn’t so I never make or buy. What’s tarama paste? Have you ever tried making from scratch with roe?
Sally, I added a photo of the tarama roe to the post to show you. It’s the actual roe, although I suspect it’s been coloured and has possibly had stuff added to it. I’m really not sure what fish it comes from, but I do know there are two versions – the dark red one that we buy, which is more common, and a grey one (I think it’s mullet roe) which comes in a tin.
Celia, that sounds yummy. Where do you buy the tarama paste?
Diana
Di, Greek and continental delis stock it – we usually buy ours at the markets, but the best I’ve ever bought has been from the deli on Marrickville Road. It’s scooped out from large white plastic tubs and is quite cheap. Let me know if you’d like me to get some for you..
I love taramasalata too! Treats for one are a very good idea.
Anna, treats for one are great IF no-one else tries to eat my share! :)
I think Tandy and I will be scouring South Africa for Tarama paste!
Sue, do you have any Greek delis over there? Sometimes things are so readily available here that we tend to take them for granted!
Gorgeous bowl. Is it from Anthropologie? They have similar bowls. I shall pass this recipe on to my Greek daughter in law.
Barbara, I hope your Greek daughter-in-law doesn’t mind – every Greek friend I have has a very definite opinion on how taramasolata should be made! ;-)
The bowl isn’t from Anthropologie, although I do spend a lot of time drooling over their stuff! We bought these from a stall at the local markets – I wrote more about them here:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/02/ceramics/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/12/09/little-christmas-g1veaway-3/
This is great! It is always tempting to eat the whole lot.
Deb, don’t I know it! I’ve been known to eat the dip for several meals in a row.. ;-)
I can see why it’s not easy to stop eating until it’s all gone :)
Tes, it’s very addictive! :)
I’m the only one in the family who likes it – apart from a daughter-in-law who lives over 200 miles away.
I can’t stop eating it till it’s gone, either so will try your recipe and treat myself!
I’m sure I deserve it.
I’m sure you deserve it too, Pat! :)
This is one of my favourite dips and you’re right, it’s totally moreish. I think a version for one is very sensible! ;)
Lorraine, it’s hard to stop eating it, isn’t it? :)
Hi Celia, I have never made Taramasolata before but I’m going to try this recipe. It’s good to have a recipe for one person – no waste. But what really had me drooling was the fabulous ceramic bowl. I then clicked onto one of your earlier posts telling us where you bought it from but it’s in Sydney. There is a coffee/gift shop in Brisbane that I love to go to, and they have these bowls, but they are quite expensive. Having seen your bowl I realise I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and go in there today and buy one. Best wishes from Jean.
Jean, thanks for stopping by! Metin who owns the Turkish ceramics business is a really nice guy – maybe you could ring him and see if he does mail order? His bowls are quite reasonably priced – from memory the bowl I used in this post was about $15. I’ve just had a look and they have a website under construction with their contact details on it: http://www.turkuazmotif.com.au/ If you do order from him, ask him to double check for you that the bowl isn’t chipped – they’re quite fragile pieces! :)
I always have some in my fridge..I am addicted to this stuff….
Norma, I tried giving it up for years, and then capitulated and tried to make a less “wicked” version.. ;-)