Wildest Bite - Cod Milt

I’ve always been a resounding “YES!” when it comes to trying new foods. Chicken hearts at our favorite yakitori joint, fire-grilled sweetbreads dipped in chimichurri in the mountains of Argentina, calves’ brains at Clown Bar in Paris – offer me the weird bites, and I’m (usually) all in.

Curiosity kicked in early for me. In my native Iran, I was lucky enough to try caviar as a toddler, and I never looked back. Iranians prefer caviar for breakfast, a spoonful dolloped on warm, generously buttered bread and chased with sweet tea. Since then – thanks to Sam Beall – I’ve come to love pairing caviar with cr.me fraiche and potato chips, and always think of Sam when I do.

Caviar led me to other funky treats from the sea: briny oysters and sea urchin, Taiwanese jellyfish salad, raw botan ebi shrimp (with the heads fried whole as a chaser). Cured anchovies are a typical breakfast in our home, and a tinful of Portuguese sardines can make a weekday lunch feel like a dip in the Mediterranean.

Which is why, on a recent trip to Japan, I surprised myself with the words “Ummm…no way.” We were at a counter in Shibuya, at the end of a nose-to-tail eat-athon in Tokyo. In front of us were pale, milky lumps of shirako: the sperm sacs of male cod. They wobbled on the plate as if to mock my so-called “boundless” appetite.

Our chef, meanwhile, was grinning ear to ear, watching us expectantly. In Japan, shirako is the ultimate delicacy, an ephemeral gift available only a few months each year. There was no way to pass up this treasured offering – not politely, anyway.

And so, we dove in. The mouthfeel was creamy and custardy, like the best chawanmushi; the taste like a splash of ocean water with a hint of smoke from the binchotan grill. I tried another bite, then another, shocked by how delicious it was (even better paired with good sake). Soon we’d polished off the entire plate. The chef seemed even more impressed, which definitely boosted our intrepid-foodie self-esteem. We even ordered it as sushi the next night. Shirako turned out to be a seminal dining experience (can’t believe I made that joke!).