About Roes and Caviar

While other luxury products seem to be more available and affordable than ever, such as smoked salmon and foie gras, caviar remains an ingredient of exception. 

I used to work in a Russian restaurant in Montréal (La TroÏka), and part of my job was to taste the caviar before it was sent to the client’s table. I gained to know the product when I was a Chef on the French Riviera, as I was buying a lot for my customers.

When you eat caviar for the first time, either you will like it and crave more, or you will hate its “fishy” taste. When I am talking about caviar, I am talking about the real stuff that comes from sturgeons. A way cheaper alternative is lump eggs. It comes in black and orange and will bring a touch of color to your canapés, but don’t be fooled; it is not real caviar.

Today caviar production is essentially farmed, except a few exceptions like the wild caviar from the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

What is Caviar?

Caviar consists of the eggs of sturgeons, salted to preserve and flavor them. Whenever the eggs are from a different fish, their name is attached to the word caviar. For example, the eggs of the salmon are called “Salmon Caviar.”