Caviar is easily in the top 3 of those foods you used to scoff at as a kid for being super gross, but now has a kind of prestige about it, like consuming it on the regular would mean you’re definitely loaded and live in an ocean-side mansion with an accompanying superyacht. Caviar says “I’m rich”, even though really it’s just fish eggs. Which should be gross.
“Fake caviar is also common,” says Erwan. “Check the bottom of the tin for information regarding origin, species and “use by” date. In Australia wild caviar is banned and cannot be imported, as catching the fish in the wild is illegal due to overfishing. Cheap or fake caviar cannot be traced back to its origin.”
HOW DO YOU EAT IT?
“It’s commonly served with blinis or lightly toasted brioche, crème fraiche and butter,” he explains. “Traditional accompaniments are baby potatoes, boiled eggs, or sour cream and chives, however the fewer the better.”
Also, in “things that are great for your subconscious trivia knowledge”, caviar is meant to be eaten only with a mother-of-pearl spoon. Why? Because apparently using a metal utensil taints the flavour of the caviar. Who bloody knew.
“Quality caviar is mild in flavour and slightly saline and nutty, with a buttery richness. If it’s intense in flavour or overly fishy or salty, then it’s not great quality,” explains Erwan. “The texture should be smooth and firm, with little to no mushiness or oiliness, and distinct eggs thatseparate when you roll them on your tongue. There’s also a wonderful pop once you bite into the
eggs which releases a burst of flavour.”
Look, bursting eggs in our mouths seems a little… terrifying. But we’ll give it a go.
“Try caviar with salmon, ocean trout, oysters, sea scallops, lobster or sushi hand rolls,” says Erwan.
WHY IS CAVIAR SO DAMN EXPENSIVE?
More mature sturgeon produce the best and most expensive caviar,” explains Erwin. “As the fish ages, theeggs become bigger, lighter and glossier and the flavour becomes more creamy and smooth.
As sturgeons take about 15 years to reach a reproductive age, only reproduce once every three or
four years and are killed to retrieve the eggs, there’s a low supply and high price tag for this caviar.”
Beluga Sturgeons generally produce the most expensive caviar. That’s cos they can live to over 100 years old and have the largest, smoothest eggs. The rarest type? It’s pearly-white in colour and’ll set you back a cool $44,000 per kg. Hooooo, boy.