Shad

Shad is the common name for several herring relatives of the genus Alosa, most famously the American shad, native to the North Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Florida and since introduced to the Pacific. Adult shad typically weigh between 1.5 and 3.5 kilograms and were historically important enough to colonial America to be called the fish that fed the nation's founders. The flesh is prized as delicately flavored, often described as needing no sauce, herb or spice, and is traditionally boiled, fried in butter or baked with a light vinegar finish; the roe of female shad is considered a particular delicacy in the eastern United States. Spring shad runs are still marked by shad bakes and festivals along the East Coast.