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Caviar Class

A guide to purchasing and cooking with the tiny, briny eggs

I t's almost time to ring in the New Year, and nothing says celebration like caviar. Whether you want to serve it unadorned or cook with it, our recipes and buying tips will help you get the most from this luxurious ingredient.

Caviar is another name for salted fish roe (eggs). Black caviar, perhaps the most well-known type, comes from a large fish called a sturgeon. Historically, most sturgeon caviar has been harvested from the Caspian Sea by the countries surrounding it: Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

There are three main types of Caspian Sea sturgeon, whose eggs each have slightly different characteristics:

Beluga: The most expensive. Larger eggs with a delicate buttery, briny flavor.

Osetra: Slightly less expensive. Medium-sized eggs with a nutty, fruity flavor.

Sevruga: The least expensive of the three. Smaller eggs with a buttery, briny flavor like beluga, but more intense.

In recent years, sturgeon in the Caspian Sea have become overfished, and to protect population levels, the caviar-producing countries have agreed to international quotas on the amount of caviar they are allowed to collect. Unfortunately, however, a great deal of caviar is still illegally harvested and exported, causing sturgeon populations to become endangered and a black-market trade to flourish.

Due to these conditions, in 2005, the United States imposed a ban on the importation of beluga caviar (the most threatened of the species) from the Caspian and Black Seas. Given caviar's shelf-life of 18 months, this means that any beluga now available in the U.S. is either illegal or no longer fresh.

With imported beluga unavailable and imported osetra and sevruga still available but overfished, American caviar connoiseurs looking for more sustainable alternatives have turned to domestic varieties. A number of American companies are now producing caviar that experts consider comparable to the best imports. Here are a few:

• Farmed caviar from the American White sturgeon, raised in California. Sometimes called Transmontanus. Available from Petrossian, Sterling, and Tsar Nicoulai.

• Caviar from the wild Hackelback sturgeon, which lives in Midwestern rivers and lakes and is not endangered. Available from Petrossian.

If you decide to purchase imported osetra or sevruga caviar, be sure to buy it from a reputable source such as Petrossian to ensure that it's legal and high-quality.

buying and serving tips:

  • Skip the Extra Salt

Purchase caviar labeled "malossol," which is Russian for "little salt" and indicates caviar that's pure and high-quality.

  • Keep It Cold

To maintain freshness, caviar must be kept between 28°F and 30°F. Store tins in a plastic bag filled with ice in the coldest part of your refrigerator, draining and refilling the bag as necessary until ready to use.

  • Serving Secrets

Traditionally, caviar is served with a mother-of-pearl of spoon, in the belief that metal will distort its flavor. Many experts say this is a myth, but a beautifully carved caviar spoon is still a fun way to enhance the luxury of this exotic product. Placing the tin on a bed of ice will help it stay fresh longer. Many traditional caviar servers have a special holder that allows the tin to be nestled on a bed of ice without sinking in as the ice melts.

  • Perfect Pairings

Caviar's delicate flavor makes it best enjoyed on its own or with simple accompaniments. Good options are dry white toast or blinis (small Russian buckwheat pancakes) and butter, crème fraîche, or sour cream. Some people also add finely chopped red onion and hardboiled eggs.

  • Cooking Cues

For cooking, less expensive varieties such as paddlefish, whitefish, or salmon roe often work perfectly well. When adding caviar to a hot dish or sauce, do so just before serving, as heat diminishes the eggs' flavor and texture.

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