This might be IMHO, but I think there are some GQs in here.
Is caviar eaten on buttered toast; or dry toast?
Most markets where I’ve looked have black lumpfish caviar that’s pretty cheap. IIRC, it’s very salty. I’ve had pike caviar from Trader Joe’s that was not very salty and tasted much better. I’ve seen jars of caviar at Trader Joe’s (gods, I wish there were one close!) ranging from about four bucks to thirteen bucks. What’s the difference? What about salmon caviar? (When I was a kid, that was called ‘bait’.)
I’ve heard that sturgeons (which I’ve heard give the best caviar) are endangered. How bad off are they? Can the roe be taken without killing the fish?
I can’t afford real caviar but salmon caviar is great. Eat with sour cream and chopped onion it is fantastic.
You need to kill the fish to get the roe. The best caviar is from the Caspian sea (I don’t know why this is considered to be true) nad I believe that the sturgeon there are endangered.
If you’re eating real (ie absurdly expensive) caviar, then dry toast is usually used. There is enough fat in the eggs to misten the toast, plus you should do whatever you can to avoid contaminating the caviar’s flavour. You can also serve caviar with bland, unsalted crackers.
Real caviar is always very salty. It’s the only known way of preserving the texture of the eggs; you pay the high prices mainly for the texture.
Real caviar comes from three varieties of Sturgeon, Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga. Beluga is the most expensive, but Ostera is the most endangered species. You can read about the threat to Caspian sturgeon here
Another vote for salmon caviar. Ikura is the most commonly found, and comes from the chum salmon. If you can findsujiko (from the sockeye salmon), it is superior in taste and texture.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen sturgeon caviar. Just the lumpfish, pike and salmon. I’m not really in a position for such frivolities at the moment, but in the past I’ve eaten the caviar with stoned wheat crackers. (I happened to remember a line in one of the James Bond books where he said the problem with ordering caviar is that they never brought enough toast, so I was wondering.)
Caviar is yummy. I’ve only ever had the real deal (sturgeon) once in my life that I’m aware of; my grandmother gave me a two-ounce tin each of Beluga and Sevruga as a present when I got my master’s degree. In addition to toast points (dry) and bland crackers, you can use halved tiny boiled new potatoes to put the caviar on. Possibly the best of all. And don’t use a metal spoon to serve it (it gives an unpleasant oxidized flavor). Horn and mother-of-pearl are traditional (my present came with two horn spoons), but plastic works just as well, if less fancily.
I can just see the elegant crystal bowl filled with crushed ice, the elegant crystal container sitting in that bowl and filled with the finest caviar, and the plastic picnic spoon for serving.
A hard-core caviar enthusiast (and trader of the stuff to boot) once assured me that anything other than boiled potatoes was heresy. The hardness of the toast gets in the way of fully appreciating the texture of the roe. Potatoes are just soft enough to offer a nice contrast with the caviar.
the potato thing is very interesting…of the restraunts I’ve been to with expensive caviar (Beluga, Osetra, Sevruga) none of the menus mentioned how its served.
Just a lone voice saying – after trying it a few times in very fancy restaurants (usually not listed in the menu) – caviar truly sucks eggs. It’s extremely foul and disgusting, worse than eating live ants. Every time I think of it, I consider all those fat plutocrats swallowing the vile stuff and laugh.
I’d tried some at various weddings over the years but last week during my anniversary dinner I had some as part of a five course food & wine safari that’s made me a real fan. It was the sockeye salmon caviar on a blint with tangerine creme fraiche and a lemon zest powder, served with a Roederer Estate Brut Rose left almost at room temperature. Damn near made me melt out of my chair.
Since then I’ve been scouring some of our local stores for more, trying different kinds with different cheeses, crackers and wines. I hope it’s not too bad for you because I just can’t get enough of the stuff. I’ve not tried the beluga yet though and am sure if faced with those prices that my quest will be tempered accordingly.
Appreciate the above suggestions. I’ll change from the baby food spoon and will give the potatoes a shot too.
lieu: Oh, yeah–caviar on blinis! Done that too; made the blinis myself even! Damn, now I can’t decide which is better, that or the boiled new potatoes. But then, that whole culinary experience you describe sounds truly the bee’s knees. The beluga is scarily expensive, though, you’re right about that.
Johnny L.A.: Yeah, the plastic spoon might look funny in that case. Definitely mother-of-pearl if you want the truly decadent, highfalutin experience.
