Some easy ways to enjoy your caviar on National Caviar Day!
As we approach National Caviar Day on July 18th, I'm excited to share some caviar 101 and my favorite ways to enjoy it. This post is not just about indulging in caviar, but also about educating you on this luxurious delicacy. Caviar has always been a key part of A Vine Affair's Experiences, and our very first tasting as a company was a virtual event with Champagne and Caviar enthusiasts from all over the US! When we rebranded in 2023, the grey you find on our site and in our logo is an inspiration of the famously grey Beluga Caviar.
If you're not familiar with caviar or have never tried it, I hope this curiosity inspires you to give it a go! And if you're eager to delve deeper into the world of caviar, consider hiring A Vine Affair for a private tasting. It's a unique and enjoyable way to explore this gastronomical luxury.
The Might Sturgeon
Caviar is unfertalized fish eggs from a female sturgeon fish. There are 28 species of sturgeon, and they belong to the Acipenseridae family. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous, and are descended from other, earlier acipenseriform fish, which date back to the Early Jurassic period, some 174 to 201 million years ago.
Sturgeon, essentially water dinosaurs, have been hunted for their roe and meat since at least 1100 BC. The rarity and value of caviar is evident in the fact that a single Sturgeon can produce hundreds of pounds of roe, though the very largest fish are extremely rare today, following decades of overfishing, poaching, pollution and habitat loss.
Enjoying your Caviar
Firstly, I always suggest buying great quality caviar. Purchasing cheap caviar that you find in the supermarket will leave you unsatisfied, and to be honest, it doesn't even taste like true caviar. Caviar should never be fishy; instead, it should be complex, slightly salty, and can have notes of butter, nuts, olive, parmesan cheese, and a kiss of marine. There are several brands of caviar that offer high-quality pearls, so please feel free to reach out to me for suggestions, but in my post, I will focus on Haute Caviar since we have partnered with them for National Caviar Day (see below).
Once you receive your caviar, unbox it and immediately put it in the fridge. Do not open your caviar until you are ready to serve it. If you are saving your caviar for after National Caviar Day, check the sell by date to make sure you enjoy your caviar while it is still fresh.
The key to serving your caviar is to keep it cold. The easiest way to do this is to keep it on ice, whether you have a caviar server or a shallow bowl. If possible, we suggest crushed ice if your tin is going to be placed directly on the ice.
Whether you are serving caviar bumps, or just eating directly from the tin, the spoon that you choose is very important. We suggest a mother of pearl or wooden spoon when serving caviar. A metal spoon will give a metallic taste and consume the delicate flavors of your caviar.
Although each person is different, our favorite way to serve caviar is by doing a caviar bump! Use a mother of pearl spoon, scoop a bit of caviar out of your tin, make a fist, and place the spoonful of caviar on the top of your hand. Lick the caviar off your hand, press it to the roof of your mouth, and let it melt away. No need to chew it, simply let it melt away, and then follow with a sip of champagne!
Air is caviar’s greatest enemy. Ideally, it is best to purchase caviar in smaller containers, in size increments that will be consumed in a single seating or caviar service. But, if you have purchased more than you are serving, the remaining caviar should be softly spread flat with a mother-of-pearl spoon, taking care not to break any of the eggs, and then covered with plastic wrap, pressing down ever so gently on the top so no air remains trapped between the eggs and the cover. The remaining caviar should be consumed within the next 3 days.
Popular ways to serve caviar are on lightly buttered dry toast or unsalted crackers with creme fraiche. You can also opt for the traditional way and eat caviar with mini pancakes known as “blinis.” Some traditional garnishes for caviar are crème fraîche, fresh herbs, chopped onions, and crumbled hard-boiled eggs.
Recipes Using Caviar
The best way to enjoy caviarditional blini or bump is to think of unique and delicious ways to use it as a topping on your favorite dishes. Great- outside the traquality caviar is never fishy, but it does have a lovely saltiness to it, so I always think of using it as a salted garnish.
The Caviar Sundae
Inspired by the "snack" Matty Matheson brought for Jimmy Fallon to try on the Tonight Show. Fast-forward to minute 4:51 in the video above to see!
The combination of salty, sweet, cool, and briny flavors makes us think that this could be the taste of summer 2024.
To make your own treat, here are some helpful tips on how to make a caviar sundae truly exceptional and bring out the flavor of the caviar.
Given that caviar is considered one of the world’s most precious ingredients, it should be allowed to shine in any recipe it features in. While we do not oppose the idea of pairing it with vanilla ice cream, it is crucial to be selective when choosing a brand. An excessively sweet or intensely vanilla ice cream could potentially overpower the delicate flavor of the caviar. If combining vanilla ice cream and caviar is your choice, we suggest opting for a Haute Caviar's Haute D'Or Osetra Caviar, along with the least sweet ice cream available and a generous dollop of caviar. To fully experience the pop of the caviar before the ice cream takes over, ensure the bite is caviar-first. If you want to eliminate the sweetness altogether, try freezing crème fraîche. You get the same refreshing mouthfeel without the interference of sugar.
Fried Chicken Topped with Caviar
Cocodaq NYC has really put Fried Chicken, Champagne, and Caviar on the map here in the US, but this has been a treat that many of us caviar lovers have enjoyed for years. Just ask any Parisian who was around when Frenchie To Go, the chic street food spot of the capital, launched their caviar fried chicken. Simple but elegant and oh-so-photogenic! Salty, succulent, and crispy, the Frenchie chefs serve perfectly fried chicken hot out of the fryer.
I remember back in 2020, I used to get Publix chicken on Saturdays and top it with some caviar (sometimes adding crème fraîche in between) while I enjoyed a bottle of champagne. It was my weekend indulgence, and I graduated to adding it to my Chick-fil-A sandwich by replacing the pickles with caviar, too! There are no rules or tips on this except for making sure you grab your favorite fried chicken and some Haute Caviar Haute Entrée for this one!
Additional ways that I enjoy topping my favorite dishes with caviar are as follows (in no particular order):
Poached Eggs
Steak
Baked Potato with Sour Cream
Hashbrowns
Brioche
Oysters
French Fries
Potato Chips and Crème Fraîche
Let me know if you have some additional ways you love to eat your caviar, and in the meantime, make sure you grab some caviar for July 18th! Remember... we have a special promo for you that you don't want to miss out on! Follow the link below to order yours!
