• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 485 0

The “occasion” seems less important than the way I chose to celebrate it. It was me. A spoon. A glass of champagne. A tiny jar of caviar. But let’s get serious—unless you’re fabulously wealthy, you and caviar are probably two ships passing in the night. I once had the chance to try Osetra caviar from the Caspian Sea and it was remarkable. (I got a tip from a friend that there was a place you could pay a small fee for samples.) Years later I started learning more and more about seafood sustainability issues, and the thought of eating a generation of wild sturgeon in one bite (and knowing that sturgeon was killed for those eggs) took away my enjoyment.

I missed that little celebratory pop when your tongue presses down on an egg against your teeth. I missed the flavor and the occasion of sharing caviar (or eating it all by yourself). Years later at The Herbfarm, I learned all about sustainably harvested caviar. I tried paddlefish caviar from Montana and farmed white sturgeon caviar from California. On my own, I experimented with ikura (chum salmon eggs from Alaska) and trout eggs, and a whole new world of egg popping opened up to me. Connoisseurs argue that the flavor is not the same as the “real” thing (Caspian Sea sturgeon), and that even the word “caviar” is reserved only for the eggs of the sturgeon. I argue that whether you call it caviar or roe or eggs, there is plenty to be excited about flavorwise with sustainable “caviar” and, as an added bonus, my environmental indigestion is now a thing of the past.

WHAT MAKES THIS A GOOD CHOICE: Salmon roe comes from wild Alaska chum salmon (see page 98 for an explanation of Alaska salmon’s sustainability). Trout, white sturgeon, and paddlefish roe all come from farmed species, so natural resources are not depleted to harvest the eggs. At the time of this writing, there are many sustainably farmed caviar options, but as I’ve advised throughout this book, make sure to ask questions and purchase farmed caviar from places committed to supporting these issues.

BY ANY OTHER NAME: Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) roe is known as ikura in sushi bars or to old salts as “bait.” Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) roe is similar in color to salmon roe, but it has a smaller bead size. White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) roe is farmed in California. Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is a relative of white sturgeon.

SEASON: Year-round for the types of caviar I mention in this book.

BUYING TIPS: Look for eggs that are shiny, firm, and separate. They should have a fresh, light, briny smell.

QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU PULL OUT YOUR WALLET: The most important way to ensure that you are buying a sustainable product is to purchase domestic fish eggs. The only wild caviar recommended for the Pacific Coast is salmon caviar (ikura). The others are all farmed: make sure to ask where they are from.

CARING FOR YOUR GOOD FISH: The most important thing you can do to preserve the quality of your caviar is to keep it very cold. I like to store it on an ice pack in a small cooler in the fridge. Unopened in your refrigerator, tinned caviar will last for 2 weeks, and vacuum-sealed jars will last for 5 to 6 weeks. Once the tins or jars are opened, they should be used up within 2 to 3 days. Ikura and trout roe can be frozen for later use. Paddlefish and white sturgeon roe should not be frozen because their delicate texture will be compromised.

HOW THIS TYPE OF SEAFOOD IS RAISED OR HARVESTED: Wild salmon caviar is harvested from chum salmon returning in the fall. White sturgeon, trout, and paddlefish roe are farmed in clean, artesian well water.

SUSTAINABLE SUBSTITUTES: Paddlefish is a good substitute for white sturgeon and vice-versa.

four-star duck eggs

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup cream

6 duck eggs,67 beaten

Truffle salt68

Freshly ground pepper

1 ounce paddlefish caviar69

Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

(optional)

This dish is so close to going whole hog that I might as well wrap it in gold leaf. I think I’ve used every luxury product there is in this recipe.