Episode 31: Those Eggs Are Fishy!

Ford On Food

It’s one of those Hollywood things – we often associate foods like lobster and caviar with the fabulously wealthy upper-class.
After-all, in movies we see millionaires in tuxedoes being served silver platters of caviar with glasses of champagne. So it’s no surprise that caviar has been given a bad rap with the average Joe.
Plus, the thought of eating fish eggs doesn’t always go down well with most people. Truth be told, caviar isn’t all that bad!
In brief, caviar is the salted roe of certain species of fish. It varies in colour, from deep back, to brown or bright red.
The most famous is from the Beluga Sturgeon, which is found in the Caspian Sea, off the coasts of Russia, and Iran. It’s not as available these days due to overfishing and pollution.
Lump fish Roe is a cheaper alternative, but it’s not technically called caviar.
Another common variety is roe from the North Atlantic Salmon.
Here in Australia, aqua farmed Salmon Roe (or Salmon Pearls) is fairly abundant and inexpensive, and it’s the one I like the most.
I once saw a documentary where they pacify the salmon by putting something in their water. Then they’ pluck the fish out one at a time to hand milk the caviar out, before putting them back in water to swim another day. Kind of freaky really.
I love the taste of the Salmon Roe – each bright red pearl pops in your mouth, releasing a refreshing salty liquid (which tastes like the ocean).
Caviar is often used as a garnish or spread on top of hors d’œuvres and canapés.
So if you’re if you’re a little concerned about eating fish eggs, just try a little bit, maybe as a garnish with smoked salmon and sour cream.
Caviar is really quite enjoyable and not as scary as some might think.