Caviar is salt-cured fish roe. Traditionally, the term 'caviar' is only used to refer to roe from wild sturgeon from the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. But these days, it may also be used to describe other fish such as salmon, steelhead, trout, lumpfish and whitefish. I'm pretty sure I have eaten the orange-colored salmon caviar at Japanese restaurants before, but I never took any notice. I thought caviar was supposed to be black.
I tried the black one at Delicious in Bangsar last month. It was served as a garnishing on a roasted pumpkin salad, with croutons, feta cheese and arugula. What type of fish roe it was, I have no idea.
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| See those little black things? |
The taste was not particularly memorable. I can't even recall it now. It didn't do much to enhance the salad, or my dining experience. I think it was a little salty, and maybe a little sourish too. The only fun part was when the eggs popped in my mouth as I chewed on them. Imagine cherry tomatoes, but many times smaller.
The reason caviar is expensive is because of the complexity of its production. It involves sedating a fish and extracting its ovaries, which are then passed through a sieve to remove their membranes and free the roes. The roes will then be rinsed and salted. Another method of extraction is through a caesarean section, which allows the fish to continue producing roes. Most recently, farmers use a process called stripping, which extracts caviar through a small incision made along the urogenital muscle of the fish when the timing is right. An ultrasound is used to determine the correct timing.
It sounds very complicated. And personally, I think it's not worth all the hassle.
