Did you miss the Mcdonald’s caviar promotion? So did I, but I’m still planning on caviaring it up this Valentines and you should too.
Caviar is a favorite of ours and it’s not really that expensive. Certainly it’s less expensive than going out to most restaurants for Valentines. If you forgot to make a reservation this year, or if the usual set menu sounds boring to you, no one doesn’t love a home cooked meal. And if you want to go all out, I recommend steak with japanese chimichurri topped with caviar for something low effort, out of this world delicious, and still cheaper than most ‘nice’ restaurants on Valentines.
if you really want the mcnugget part of the meal as well, my recommendation is to make a chicken mcnugget bouquet and leave the caviar to eat on its own (more on that below).
What is caviar
Simply put, caviar is salt cured sturgeon eggs. More and more people are starting to include salmon roe in this definition, but I think you’d be setting anyone up for a disappointment if they expected caviar and got salmon roe. Traditionally it comes from wild fish caught in Russia and adjacent countries. These days you can find it sustainably farmed from far away places such as Germany and even Canada/BC. Personally, I love the traditionally-sourced stuff the best, it’s definitely in another league. For a special occasion, it’s a no brainer for me.
What does caviar taste like
Taste-wise, as with most fine things, youre going to find a lot of tasting notes, so it’ll depend on the grade/source/brand you get. For me, good fresh caviar has a texture like tiny bursting grapes (or like really fresh mini ikura) and a flavor similar to uni, but less buttery and more fresh.
Where to buy caviar
You can get caviar via same day shipping from a lot of local shops and online retailers. Additionally, brands such as Petrossian (not sponsored) have their own shop which also includes very fast or overnight delivery. We’ve ordered from them several times and it’s usually always overnighted. Believe it or not, you can also buy caviar from amazon, if you live in a city where amazon fresh is available.
Locally, most seafood markets will have it, as well as some Costco’s. Even Whole Foods, who somehow have their own brand in addition to the usual supermarket brands like Fishwife. Their’s is farmed from Germany and seems to cost the same as better brands you can get online, so for me, I’d pass unless it was a caviarmergency.
How much does caviar cost?
As of this writing, a good grade of caviar costs about $80/oz (aka 30g), give or take, depending on brand. Despite what they may write on the can or website, an ounce is more than enough to enjoy for two, especially if you’re eating it on its own.
How to eat caviar
The traditional way to eat caviar is with creme fraiche and a blini pancake, using a mother of pearl spoon. Personally, I’ve found the spoon doesn’t matter at all, maybe back in the day when all spoons were silver or carbon steel it was a problem, but I tried it with a mother of pearl spoon, an enamel spoon, and a stainless steel spoon, and it was all much the same.
My favorite way to eat it is on its own with a sparkling wine or vodka chaser. It’s the most for your money and makes it more of an occasion. Use a smaller spoon like an espresso spoon if you can. Ours comes from Japan, of course.
What to make with caviar
But, while I think it’s best enjoyed on its own, you can certainly use it to top other foods. In addition to the steak above, we’ve made pasta, gunkan sushi, and even beef wellington topped with it. All of it was delicious because caviar lends itself well to enhancing other flavors with a salty burst of ocean freshness.
Best grades of caviar
There are more grades than you’d believe and it would be pretty exhausting to cover them all, but my favorite grade is ossetra. While I’ve had more expensive grades, ossetra is a nice mid-priced grade with a light and easy to appreciate taste. It’s like with many finer things such as whiskey or sushi. Sometimes the most expensive, highest end stuff is truly an acquired taste.
Dyed/fake
Believe it or not, everything can be faked, including caviar. If your caviar is leaving a very oily black stain on your plate, most likely it’s been adulterated or may not be sturgeon eggs.
That’s it, I hope you make time and money to try or reacquaint yourself with caviar. Honestly it used to be a cheap peasant anytime-treat and I wish it was like that again.
-Mike
Ingredients
- 6 oz spaghetti or long pasta of choice
- 4 tbsp butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
- 1 oz caviar or more or less as desired, to finish
- chives thinly sliced, to finish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti 2 minutes shy of al dente according to the package. Reserve 3/4 cups of the hot pasta water and drain the noodles.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and cook, stirring, until the garlic is aromatic but not brown.
- Carefully add a 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the skillet (it will bubble up, so be careful) and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk the pasta water, butter, and garlic together, to emulsify into a loose sauce.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and continue to cook over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the liquid reduces to a glossy, thick sauce, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese, tossing to melt and combine, thinning with extra pasta water if needed. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Divide the garlicky pasta between to plates and finish with a generous sprinkle of thinly sliced chives and dollops of caviar. Enjoy hot.
