CaspianSea

Can You Get Wild Caspian Sea Caviar for New Year's Eve?

Filed under: Dining

Luxist has been following the availability of wild Caspian Sea caviar for years. Caviar aficionados remember the first ban on Beluga caviar that went into effect in September 2005 that made it illegal to import the delicacy to the United States until it was lifted by the United Nations in 2007. Since the removal of the ban, coveted wild Caspian Sea caviar has been available but the prices have been astronomical and both the availability and quality spotty.

According to David Rosengarten, a food and wine writer, cook book author and former host of an award wining Food Network television show, it may not be possible to buy anything other than farm raised caviar for New Year's Eve. He reports in Tasting's, his ezine, that Petrossian, winner of the Luxist Reader's Choice Award, will not be selling anything but farm-raised caviar and none of it from the Caspian Sea. He also states that we shouldn't despair as their are so many delicious alternatives to the original Beluga caviar. Among his favorites is Petrossian's Avelrta President caviar which is farmed in northern California from white sturgeon.

A discreet phone call to Petrossian revealed that it is in fact accurate that they have recently sold out of their supply of high grade wild caviar which was retailing for a whopping $20,000 a kilo. Assurances were made that the supply is fluid and that there will be more available. You may have to win the lottery as the price of the wild caviar is in the category of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it". That being said, Petrossian is committed to retaining wild caviar for their VIP customers. For the rest of us, they provide an incredible selection of varieties of farmed caviar.

The silver lining to the shortage of the wild Caspian Sea caviar is that it gives us all a good excuse to break free from the traditional definitions of what is the "best" caviar. Let your taste buds decide which variety and style of farm raised eggs you like the most.

Tags: caspian, caspian sea, CaspianSea, caviar, New Years Eve, NewYearsEve, Petrossian

Karat Caviar, Outstanding Osetra from Israel

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Crystal Clear spring water from Mount Herman and the finest selection of many generations of pure Russian Sturgeon go into making Karat Caviar, a recently introduced aquacultured Osetra caviar from Israel that took 16 years to develop, with incredibly delicious results. Karat uses the same Russian Sturgeon species (Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii) found in the famed Caspian Sea, raised in the most natural settings under pristine conditions to produce an imperial grade product usually associated only with increasingly scarce wild sturgeon.

Karat Caviar is produced by Caviar Galilee, one of the longest running fish farms in Israel, which has been involved in aquaculture since 1939. The Caviar Galilee Farm began growing Russian Sturgeon in 1992, when the first fertilized eggs were imported directly from Russia. The Farm is located in close proximity to the main source of the Jordan River – the Dan Springs, which flow with crystal clear snow waters from the peaks of Mount Hermon. The natural flow of water which gravitates through the Farm enables fish breeding in water that is clear, pure and rich in oxygen.

The Russian Osetra is produced from ten to eleven year-old fish. During the production process, the caviar is produced separately from each single fish and is then packed separately ensuring the product's purity, without mixing caviar from different fish. Freshness, consistent high quality, large pearl size, fine taste and texture and sustainability are the watchwords of Karat, which aims to put the rest of the farmed caviar trade to shame. Karat's exclusive 100% pure Russian Osetra is now available at Dean & DeLuca under the Galilee label, as well as at Zabar's and Whole Foods in the Southeast.

Tags: Caspian Sea, CaspianSea, caviar, Dean DeLuca, DeanDeluca, food-awards, Israel, Karat Caviar, KaratCaviar, luxist-awards, Russia, sturgeon

Black River Caviar from Uruguay, "Wild-Raised"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

When it comes to caviar you traditionally have a choice between the incredibly expensive and increasingly scarce wild variety from the Caspian Sea, the farm-raised variety produced with varying degrees of success around the globe, and a host of sub-par imitation or substitute options. Black River Caviar from Uruguay has ushered in a newer contender that aims to fit in somewhere between the first two and be the best of both worlds, dubbed "wild-raised." The process involves replicating the sturgeon's natural habitat as closely as possible.

Black River Ossetra Malossol Caviar is produced from Siberian sturgeon, originally imported as fertilized roe from Russia in 1995. The sturgeon are fed an all-natural, organic feed. Black River's facilities are harmoniously adapted to the environment and best utilize the pristine natural habitat that is Uruguay's Rio Negro. Unlike most farm-raised systems, which involve recirculated water requiring treatment with filters and chemical products, Black River uses millions of gallons of fresh water.

The system involves a fresh water lake whose environment corresponds very closely to that of the lake-like Caspian Sea with its slow and natural water streams, as well as a "raceways" system, which is a perfect simulation of the river delta and its requisite rapids. The volume of water running through the system guarantees a totally unspoiled environment in which the water is naturally oxygenated when flowing through a cascade system, simulating the female fishes' natural journey up the river.

The continuous exercise the sturgeon get in this environment from constantly swimming against the fresh water streams allows them to grow and mature in a fashion which ensures a quality akin to their wild counterparts. After harvesting, Black River's Russian Caviar Master uses the malossol, or "little salt" method, to enhance flavor of the finished product. The delectable large grain caviar (above), has a fresh, clean, nutty taste, and creamy texture. Ice cold vodka is the perfect accompaniment, but champagne works well too.

Tags: Black River Caviar, BlackRiverCaviar, Caspian Sea, CaspianSea, caviar, fish, Russia, sturgeon, Uruguay, vodka