On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 468

Asalmonegg.Likethechickenegg,theinner
yolkissurroundedbyaprotein-richfluid,and
containsfattymaterials,includingfat-soluble
carotenoidpigments,andthelivingeggcell.
SaltTransformsEggFlavor
andTexture

HeavySalting:BottargaFisheggsaremore
frequentlyconsumedsaltedthantheyare
fresh.Originally,saltingwassimplyameans
ofpreservingtheeggs.Formillenniainthe
Mediterranean,wholemulletandtunaovaries
havebeendry-salted,pressed,anddriedto
makewhat’snowbestknownasbottarga
(therearealmostidenticalAsianversions).
Thesaltinganddryingcauseaconcentration
ofaminoacids,fattymaterials,andsugars,


whichreactwitheachotherinthecomplex
browningreactionstodarkenthecolortoa
deepred-brownandgeneraterich,fascinating
flavorsreminiscentofparmesancheeseand
eventropicalfruits!Bottargaisnowa
delicacy,slicedpaper-thinandservedasan
antipasto,orgratedontoplainhotpasta.
Light Salting: Caviar It turned out that
salting has even more to offer when applied
sparingly to loose, moist fish eggs. A small
dose of salt triggers the action of proteindigestingenzymesintheegg,whichboostthe
levelsoftaste-stimulatingfreeaminoacids.It

also
triggers
another
enzyme
(transglutaminase)thatcross-linksproteinsin
theoutereggmembraneandhelpstoughenit,
thus giving the egg more texture. By
generating a brine that gets drawn into the
spacebetweentheouterandyolkmembranes,
salt plumps the egg, making it rounder and
firmer. And by changing the distribution of