Regardless of what curing process you decide to use one of the most essential steps for quality roe is to bleed the fish without delay after catching it. Nothing will spoil eggs more than blood and the bacteria it creates. Wear rubber gloves when handling the roe during the curing process to keep as much human scent away as possible and to protect you hands form the ingredients used to process the eggs. Wash every particle of blood off the eggs you can using lake or spring water. Tap water should not be used unless there is no other alternative. |
To begin the curing process, pat the eggs dry with a pure white paper towel and section them. Don't use towels with printed designs or colored writing.
Sprinkle the eggs lightly with Pro Cure and rub the cure in with your fingers. Use Rubber gloves --the stuff will stain permanently. Put the eggs in plastic bags or jars and put them in the refrigerator. Turn them every 1 to 2 hours to allow the cure to spread evenly. Drain and let dry, and then wrap the eggs in paper towels and put them in the freezer. Once they've frozen, vacuum-pack them and store them in the freezer. They'll last in the freezer upwards of a year. Egg Cure ingredients |
Split your egg skeins lengthwise and quarter them. It's easiest to cut down the portion of the skein without the membrane and lay the sac open. Next, with THE EXCEPTION of the eggs, bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a large pan. Make sure to stir frequently. After the mixture has been boiled and all contents are dissolved, cool the mixture to a luke-warm temperature and then place your eggs in the brine. Allow the eggs to soak for about twenty minutes, stirring about every 7 or 8 minutes. Then, remove the eggs from the mixture and drain in a strainer for several hours. Following this step, you will want to lay the strained eggs out in a cool place on a plastic screen or thin piece of wood for approximately 12-24 hours to dry depending on your personal preference of hardness. Once the eggs are done to your liking, roll them in plain borax and store in a plastic container. NOTE: for loose eggs, let dry for just a few hours ... or else they will turn out like a dried pea! You can keep them in the refrigerator for a month or so, if you plan on keeping them any longer than that, freeze in an air-tight container! These eggs seem to milk much longer and are more rubbery, than some of the commercial cures providing you with better bait durability. Experiment with adding shrimp oil, anise, garlic powder or other scents to the brine mixture. Egg Cure ingredients |
Clean off the eggs real good with water. |
Plain Borax Cure (an heirloom recipe that keeps catching steelhead) |
Natural Colored Gooey Roe Cure |
Strawberry Jello and Borax Cure |
Amerman Eggs Pro-Cure Bait Scents Quick Cure Dry Pac Radiant Cure |