Ingredients

Caviar

Ikra (Russian); khag-avar (Persian). Caviar is the processed, salted roe of sturgeon mostly fished from the Caspian and Black Seas; beluga, ossetra, and sevruga caviars are the most expensive. Beluga, with its large smooth eggs, varies from pale to dark gray and is known for the “pop” of the egg bursting in the mouth. This delicately flavored, buttery, and creamy caviar is among the rarest of caviars and commands a high price. Ossetra is smaller than beluga, most commonly dark brown in color, with a more assertive, nutty, and rich flavor. Sevruga is smaller and is light to dark gray with an intense, rich flavor. The rare golden sterlet caviar was once the favorite of royalty, but the species is now nearly extinct. Pressed caviar is a blend of ossetra and sevruga that consists of broken fish eggs pressed to remove excess salt and oil and contains four times more roe than fresh caviar of the same weight. It is dry, spreadable, and considered a delicacy, especially in Russia, where it is preferred for its highly concentrated flavor.

In the United States, only the roe of sturgeon and paddlefish may be termed caviar. Malossol caviar means “little salt” in Russian and indicates that the caviar has been processed with a minimum of salt. Caviar usually contains 4 to 8 percent salt, with the better types containing less salt. Slow-growing prehistoric sturgeons have been overfished, and illegal trading of Caspian caviar has led to their near extinction, so farmed caviar has become more common.

White sturgeon is farm-raised in California for its caviar and is most similar to ossetra. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens_) produces caviar comparable to Russian beluga but is only available from Canada. Hackleback sturgeon (Scaphiryhnchus platoryhnchus_) is native to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and faster growing and smaller than most sturgeon. Its roe is dark and medium-sized with sweet, buttery, nutty flavor. Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), or spoonbill, are cartilaginous cousins to the sturgeon and also native to North America. Their roe ranges from pale through dark steel-gray to golden and is smooth and silky with a rich, complex flavor. Paddlefish are considered endangered, so only one American company, Osage Catfisheries, is permitted to sell both the fish and the roe. Farmed caviar is available year-round, with some variability of supply and winter the best season. Caviar has a shelf life of up to 1 year, if kept tightly sealed and extra-cold in the refrigerator. It is served with gold, horn, wood, mother-of-pearl, or plastic utensils because other metals may alter its taste and color. In the United States, the import of beluga caviar from the Caspian and Black Seas has been banned since September 2005.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com

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