Caviar

About

Oscietra caviar is prized for a fine, nutty, complex, sometimes herbal flavor that varies with the sturgeon's wide-ranging, omnivorous diet. Beluga caviar, from a carnivorous, protein-rich diet, has larger eggs and a creamier, less fishy taste. Sevruga, the most common of the three, is darker in color and has a simpler, more strongly sea-salty flavor. Wild Caspian sturgeon populations have declined sharply from overfishing, but farmed caviar from the US and Europe is increasingly well regarded for flavor.

Pairs well with caviar

• CiLemonA simple sauce for scallops is made by cooking them in butter and finishing with lemon juice and caviar.
• EaPotatoWriters Simon Hopkinson and Lindsay Bareham argue that both caviar and truffle pair especially well with potato: truffle and potato share…
• SuEggScrambled eggs and caviar is a classic luxurious pairing, sometimes served in a buttery puff-pastry shell.
• MeChickenIn Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar, a character covers thin slices of chicken generously with caviar, rolls them up to keep the caviar…
• CrBananaIn pre-revolutionary Russia, the tsar's children were reportedly served mashed banana with caviar for breakfast -- an unlikely but…
• SuCauliflowerCruciferous vegetables pair well with salty ingredients, as in chef Joel Robuchon's dishes combining cauliflower cream or purée with…
• ChSoft CheeseCaviar is traditionally served with non-metal spoons, such as mother-of-pearl or plastic, since silver or steel can affect its flavor, and…
• WoHazelnutHazelnut flavor is detectable across a wide range of foods and drinks, including aged white Burgundy, Champagne, oysters, jabugo ham,…
• MaOysterFood writer Harold McGee notes that Oscietra caviar tastes similar to oysters, both sharing muddy, briny, mineral notes likely tied to…
• BrSmoked FishSmoked salmon and caviar is a familiar, luxurious pairing; some Paris restaurants also serve various caviars alongside smoked trout, eel…