Caviar, Types

Sturgeon - the real stuff

Beluga is gray and has the largest, best-quality, and mildest-flavored berry. The color is graded from 000 for the lightest gray (also the most prized) to ) for the darkest.

Ossetra is large grained and can be golden brown, bottle green ,slate gray or bluish white. Its flavor is more intense than the others.

Sevruga is the smallest grained and is dark gray to black.

Keluga caviar comes from northern Manchuria. The eggs are like beluga in size and gray, moist, and nonoily.


Others

Keta is red salmon roe. It is bright orange-red and large grained.

Lumpfish caviar is naturally sand-colored but is dyed either black or red. It is inexpensive and can be used as a substitute for the more expensive variety in dips or as a garnish. It must be added to recipes just before serving, as the dye tends to run.

Whitefish caviar comes from the Great Lakes and Canada. It has a mild, crisp, and clean taste and, because of its small grain, is not oily. Some whitefish caviar is flavored with chiles or liqueur.

Crab, Flying Fish, and Cod caviar are used in Japan for sushi. The crab roe has a bittersweet flavor and crunchy texture. The flying fish produces a caviar with crunch and a fishy flavor. Cod roe resembles anchovy paste in both flavor and texture. These roes are often dyed pale orange or yellow.