Negotiating the World of Caviar

Caviar used to be the epitome of a particularly simple kind of luxury. You bought it, you opened it, you ate it. The hardest part was paying for it.

Well, nothing is simple anymore. In addition to an up-to-date atlas and a few Russian words, a caviar shopper these days needs some knowledge of international trade and environmental issues. But the market also offers some new alternatives, including world-class caviar raised on farms in California.

Caviar, when used without any qualifying label, refers to immature sturgeon eggs preserved with salt. Sturgeons are native to much of the Northern Hemisphere and are fished commercially in many areas, but no place on Earth is more associated with caviar than the Caspian Sea. Caviar from three Caspian sturgeons--the giant beluga and the smaller osetra and sevruga--set the world standard for caviar quality and command the highest prices.

Unfortunately, the high price of caviar ($50 an ounce and up at retail) makes it one of the world’s favorite black-market commodities. Experts estimate that since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the illegal harvest of Caspian sturgeon for caviar has been at least 10 times the legal catch, enough to push several species (especially beluga, the largest and scarcest species) to the brink of extinction.

The decline in Caspian sturgeon stocks has prompted tighter regulation of all sturgeon and caviar trade worldwide, and some environmental groups are urging buyers to boycott beluga caviar, the most endangered variety.

On the other hand, the high value of caviar has helped drive the development of sturgeon aquaculture, in which California is a world leader. A couple of sturgeon farms in the Sacramento area reached a milestone in the mid-1990s with the first commercial production of caviar from captive-born fish.

Starting with broodstock of the native white sturgeon taken from the wild (and returned to the rivers alive), California’s sturgeon hatcheries long ago produced more baby fish than were needed to replenish wild stocks, and the surplus went into commercial aquaculture. In the wild, white sturgeon do not mature sexually until around 12 to 15 years of age, but under the ideal growing conditions of the farm they can be ready to spawn as young as 8 years old.

At first, captive-born mature females were too valuable as broodstock to sacrifice for caviar, which requires killing the fish before the eggs are ready for spawning. But since the mid-1990s, farmers have had enough mature females to ensure breeding stock, with an increasing number each year left over to provide eggs for caviar.

California is now producing a few tons of caviar per year, most of it sold under the Sterling brand and a smaller amount by Tsar Nicoulai. Under projections based on the juvenile fish now being grown, these two brands could provide as much as 20 to 30 tons per year by the middle of this decade, about a quarter of the total U.S. caviar market.

California caviar is not that easy to find, at least yet. Sterling’s entire 2001 production had sold out at the source by mid-December, though some may remain in the local retail pipeline. There is also at least one private-label brand produced by Stolt that is sold in the Beverages & More stores in Orange County. Next year’s crop, available beginning in March, should be larger, according to a company spokesman. Tsar Nicoulai is in somewhat better supply, and appears to be picking up some of the unmet demand.

Both brands compare favorably to Caspian malossol osetra in size and salt content, though they are typically much darker in color (almost black versus olive-gray). I find the flavor very fresh, if a little milder than Caspian osetra, but I think I prefer it.

Export and import of all varieties of sturgeon caviar is restricted under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES. Only a couple of varieties of sturgeon made the treaty’s original 1975 list of critically endangered species, for which no trade is allowed; the rest were added to the later Appendix II, threatened species “in need of protection to prevent further decline.” Appendix II species (this applies to eggs as well as meat) can be traded internationally, but only with export permits and certification of legal and sustainable harvest from the source country.

Until 1991, all Caspian fisheries fell under the jurisdiction of two countries, the Soviet Union and Iran. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan became sovereign nations, each with its own idea of how to manage the sturgeon resource, none with the regulatory strength of the old regime. The result was disastrous for the sturgeon.

In June of this year, CITES authorities persuaded Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia to halt sturgeon fishing for the remainder of 2001 (which should have little effect on the caviar supply, since most egg-bearing fish are caught in the spring). To get caviar export quotas for 2002, the countries have to develop and implement a coordinated regional sturgeon management plan covering all the nations fishing in the Caspian. Turkmenistan, the other former Soviet republic involved in Caspian fisheries, is not a member of CITES but is being pressured to cooperate.

Although the situation in the former Soviet Union has been chaotic, Iran--which also borders the Caspian--has managed its sturgeon resources well, by most accounts, and appears to have a sustainable supply of top-quality caviar. After many years of embargo, Iranian foods are once again available in the U.S., and many caviar importers have either added Iranian caviar to their line or switched to Iran as their main source of Caspian caviar.

Many Southern California caterers and restaurateurs are seeing a reduced demand for caviar this holiday season. Depending on the client’s needs and budget, caterers may use anything from Caspian beluga to inexpensive, black-dyed lumpfish caviar. “For caviar tortes, or a buffet station serving potato pancakes with a caviar garnish, lumpfish is fine,” says Hallie Gould, president of Somerset Catering in Los Angeles. When she uses the good stuff, it’s mainly osetra, as a garnish for plated dishes rather than a big bowl of caviar on a buffet.

Although environmental organizations such as Caviar Emptor are urging a boycott of beluga and a reduced use of Caspian caviar, caterers have not reported a major shift in client requests, but the issue sometimes comes up among colleagues. Jeanette Holley of Along Came Mary Productions, a Los Angeles caterer, normally uses Russian caviar, but says, “We are trying to get more into Iranian; we hear they have more sustainable methods of catching sturgeon. We are trying to be more ecologically aware, to educate ourselves and our peers.”

At the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, executive chef Christian Rassinoux has been an active promoter of Sterling California caviar, which he puts on the menu in rotation with Caspian caviar. Given the choice, however, the public generally asks for Caspian.

“If they are going to pay $90 to $100 for caviar,” Rassinoux says, “they want beluga.”

Sterling: www.sterlingcaviar.com (800) 525-0333; Tsar Nicoulai: www.tsarnicoulai.com (800) 952-2842; Caviarteria: www.caviarteria.com (800) 287-9773; Paramount: www.clubcaviar.com (800) 992-2842; Petrossian: www.petrossian.com (800) 828-9241.

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A Caviar Glossary

Caviar: The immature eggs of sturgeon, preserved with salt. When a similar product is made from the eggs of other fish, it must be labeled as such, e.g. salmon caviar or whitefish caviar.

Beluga: The largest species of Eurasian sturgeon, and its caviar, which generally has the largest individual eggs (or “berries”) and a delicate flavor. Scarce and expensive.

Osetra: The general Russian name for sturgeon, and in particular for the mid-size variety native to the Caspian region. Osetra caviar is medium in size, golden to nearly black in color and full of flavor. Generally speaking, it offers the highest quality for the price.

Sevruga: The smallest and most common of the Caspian species, producing caviar with very small eggs.

Malossol: Russian for “little salt”; refers to caviar cured with the smallest amount of salt possible (an indication of quality).

White sturgeon: A large species native to western North America, aquacultured in California. Produces caviar similar in size, color and flavor to Caspian osetra.

American caviar: Usually taken from the smallish shovelnose or hackleback sturgeon, caught wild in the Mississippi River system and the Great Lakes.

Paddlefish: A distant relative of sturgeon found (and farmed) in central North America, producing the closest equivalent to caviar of any non-sturgeon species.

Golden caviar: A fine-grained, light yellow “caviar” made from the eggs of Great Lakes whitefish. Pretty to look at and perhaps the best quality and value in non-sturgeon caviar.

Black (lumpfish) caviar: A cheap form of “caviar” made with the roe of North Atlantic lumpfish, dyed black and pasteurized for storage out of refrigeration. It is to real caviar what $2.99 Central Valley bubbly is to Champagne.

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Buying and Serving Caviar

Many gourmet retailers and upscale groceries carry some types of caviar and sell others by special order. There also are numerous online and mail-order sources, including Petrossian, Paramount, Caviarteria, Sterling and Tsar Nicoulai, which ship by overnight delivery services. Prices range from around $50 an ounce to more than $100.

Shipping costs can be considerable when ordering just an ounce or two, but are more reasonable for larger quantities.

Caviar is typically packed in 1- to 2-ounce jars or larger tins. Top-quality caviar is perishable and should be kept colder than normal refrigerator temperature, but not frozen. Packing the unopened container in ice is best, leaving a way for the melted ice to drain away. For the freshest taste, plan to serve caviar within a week of purchase.

Caviar purists like it with as little adornment as possible, spooned onto tiny toast points or simply onto the back of the hand. Mother-of-pearl spoons are traditional; experts claim that silver or stainless spoons give a metallic taste to the caviar. A little sour cream or creme fraiche goes nicely with caviar and Champagne, but other typical accompaniments, such as chopped egg and onion, can distract from the flavor. Blini, thin Russian buckwheat pancakes, are another traditional base for caviar, and some American chefs use cornmeal blini.

To drink? Brut Champagne is the classic choice to drink with caviar, though some would argue for ice-cold vodka. If you feel like celebrating and can afford the caviar, you might as well break out the bubbly too--California or French, as you like.