by Flora Foodie

Created on: July 17, 2007   Last Updated: December 06, 2011

There are two perfect ways to serve real sturgeon caviar. Ice-cold on soft white rolls with butter is one and ice-cold on hot yeast blini pancakes with rich sour cream is the other. Using chopped onions or even shallots for good sturgeon caviar is a horrid imposition on the latter's delicate taste. Toasted bread is also not to be recommended the luscious caviar flavour is much better set off against fresh wheat bread softness than against a toast crunch.

However the best sturgeon caviar in the world, that of the Caspian sea, is now the product of disastrous over-fishing and poaching that may lead to the extinction of several sturgeon species quite soon. So I don't eat Caspian sturgeon caviar for ethical reasons and would like to implore you to do the same. Is a fleeting gustatory pleasure (however perfect) worth the disappearance of yet another species from our planet? I don't think so. Actually animal rights' movements should pay attention to caviar problems instead of leading campaigns against the relatively innocent foie gras (which is produced by French farmers in much more humane conditions than eggs that most people buy in the supermarkets every day).

But I digress. So what can caviar-lovers do? First, no imitation caviar, this is truly horrible. Second, there are still some people who produce caviar without endangering the sturgeon species, for example in France (in Gironde river) so one can try seeking this caviar out (I haven't tried it yet, so I can't vouch for its taste, but still). And third, why, there is lovely salmon caviar (or roe) left.

Fiery-red salmon caviar that one mostly finds in sushi nowadays is as perfect with white rolls or blini pancakes as real sturgeon caviar is, just give it a try! Another luxurious way of enjoying it is putting it as the last touch into the cream sauce for a salmon steak just don't heat it through or it will achieve the texture of a piece of rubber with the same gustatory characteristics.

As for storing caviar, both sturgeon and salmon, it must always be kept in the fridge. Sturgeon caviar can also be frozen and then left to thaw in the fridge before serving (I tried some years ago and it was all right), but I am not so sure about salmon caviar, because the eggs are much bigger and it might affect their texture but you can always experiment, especially as salmon caviar is way more affordable and easy to get than sturgeon caviar.

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