7 minute read
Caviar Connoisseur
From Kaluga to Sevruga to the White Gold of Austria, nothing says posh like this elegant nosh
By Chef Patricia Clark
The word “caviar” conjures up images of opulent scenes with gold-painted furniture and a drippingwith-diamonds hand holding a perfectly tiny bite of tiny black pearls. It’s the culinary epitome of luxury, and yachts are, indeed, a luxury business — but is there a way to scale our perceptions of one of the world’s hottest commodities to fit all sizes of boats and budgets?
With winter charter season fast approaching, I reached out to my favorite caviar vendor, Steve Shtivelman, to discuss the ins and outs of caviar in today’s market. After leaving a lucrative career on Wall Street and relocating from New York to South Florida, Shtivelman has become an expert in all things caviar, from sourcing to serving to navigating the industry’s ever-changing global legal policies.
It is important to note a few basics. The only true forms of caviar must come from a sturgeon fish. Sturgeon come in several different sizes and variations that live in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. Colorful roe (fish eggs) that are very popular — such as that of salmon, whitefish, cod, etc. — are technically not caviar. Currently, there are 12 different types of sturgeon used for caviar production, as well as a few types of paddlefish, which is a first cousin of sturgeon.
According to Shtivelman, a hybrid form of
Beluga caviar called Kaluga is the most requested type in the past few years. Kaluga’s buttery, non-fishy taste and larger egg size are similar to Beluga, but often at least a third of the price. While it isn’t new, Kaluga has become more popular in the U.S. after it became illegal to import Beluga caviar from Russia. Recently, however, a new extraction process similar to a C-section that keeps the fish alive makes it legal to import the fish and has enabled U.S. caviar farms to once again sell Beluga.
I asked Shtivelman if the old standards for top quality are still the three kings of caviar: Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga. He explained that Beluga, in most cases, is considered the best because of its large eggs and non-fishy flavor. Although he cautions that in some cases Beluga may be bland and new caviar consumers don’t prefer the grayish color, regular caviar consumers will expect Beluga at any formal tasting or grand-style service.
“Osetra,” he went on to say,
“is the most popular order of the three stalwarts. In my opinion,
Osetra offers the best taste for the price and many like the mostly dark brown color. Sevruga is more of an acquired taste and an appropriate choice for people that like classic caviar hallmarks, such as a very black color and a strong taste of salt and the sea.” We all know caviar is a luxury product, but how pricey does it actually get? “The most expensive of the popular caviars consumed in the U.S. today is the farmed Persicus Persian Caviar from Iran,” Shtivelman said. “While it is rare, marketing plays a big part in the cost of this caviar, and for me, personally, its flavor is too mild, in a similar style as Beluga. It sells for about $320 per ounce”
Huso Huso goes for about $830 per ounce and is the only true Beluga sold in the U.S. Almas Osetra, a type farmed in Italy and famous for its pale gold color, goes for about $485 per ounce. The most expensive sold in the world right now is out of Austria: Strottarga Bianco, known as the “white gold of caviar,” sells for approximately $7,500 per ounce and comes from farmed Siberian albino sturgeon.
What does Shtivelman prefer to eat? “My favorite is Kaluga Amber, a great value in terms of dollars for flavor,” he said. “I’m from Eastern Europe originally, and I prefer a large portion of caviar on black bread with unsalted butter.” He also recommends, depending on budget, offering guests a tasting of Beluga, Russian Osetra , Kaluga, and Paddlefish.
If you must buy your caviar for ship stores ahead of a busy charter season, it should be air-sealed and kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator for four to five weeks, Shtivelman said. Caviar may also be frozen if it is thoroughly thawed in the fridge before serving.
“An opened tin or jar of caviar generally can last up to 10 days in the refrigerator — or, in my case, about a few minutes before I eat it all,” he said, adding that a glass jar is usually the best vessel for preservation, as some metals can change the taste of the caviar. Pasteurized caviar does not need refrigeration, but Shtivelman doesn’t recommend it, becasue much of the flavor is lost in the pasteurization process. ‹
Roe, roe, roe your boat!
It’s easy to be creative when serving caviar. Making your own butter and adding chopped herbs such as dill or scallions is an easy adaptation. Take it a step further and flavor the crème fraiche with finely zested lemon, finely chopped chives, or even a puree of roast shallot — or add a tiny dollop of red onion jam. Serve with freshly baked blini or Russian black bread, or try these fast and easy alternatives:
• FROZEN WAFFLE FRIES: Bake or fry, pipe lemon-zested chive cream cheese, and top with amber, gold or gray-colored caviar.
• SWEET POTATO WAFFLE FRIES: Bake or fry, pipe saffron and tajine cream, top with salmon roe.
• LA ROSE NOIR PLAIN OR MINI SESAME
CONES: Fill with a small roll of smoked salmon/cream fraiche/chive, top with a drop of crème fraiche, salmon roe, or gold caviar, and a dill pluche.
• ENGLISH CUCUMBER: Slice into thin wheels, pipe dill-blended cream, top with small flakes of gold, then black or gray caviar.
Exclusive treat for Triton readers
For expert advice on caviar and other luxury food products, send a message via phone or WhatsApp to Steve Shtivelman at +1 917-838-6465 or email him at Ssty11@aol.com. For a limited time, those who mention “the Triton” will get the following exclusive pricing: • 5.5oz crystal jar Kaluga royal amber $190.00 plus shipping • 1kg Kaluga royal amber $1200.00 plus shipping
GO-TO BLINI RECIPE
Blini are easy to make and very adaptable. You can play around with types of flour, color, and even texture. Traditional blini range in size depending on where they are from. French blini are tiny and bite-sized, while Russian blini are at least the size of the palm of your hand, and sometimes bigger.
INGREDIENTS
5 grams (2 teaspoons) active yeast 300 milliliters (11⁄³ cup) slightly warmed milk 8 grams (about 2 teaspoons) sugar 2 large eggs at room temperature, separated 250 grams (1¾ cups) bread flour (or glutenfree bread flour mix, or traditional buckwheat flour*) 5 grams (2 teaspoons) fine kosher salt 60 grams (¼ cup) melted unsalted butter 15 milliliters (¾ cup) neutral oil, such as sunflower
NOTE: Color variations include adding a teaspoon of charcoal powder, matcha powder, butterfly pea flower powder, or infusing the milk with saffron, tajine, or even a vanilla bean! *If you are using only buckwheat flour, add 28 grams (2 tablespoons) of sour cream to your batter.
METHOD
Combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix the flour, salt, egg yolks, and yeast mixture until a thin dough forms. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours until it doubles in size. Whisk the egg whites until soft-peaks stage, then gently combine the egg whites and the flour batter. (I put the batter in a squeeze bottle with a medium size tip.) Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add a bit of unsalted butter or ghee, and add enough batter for the size you want. Cook about 2 minutes per side for small blini and 3-4 minutes per side for large. — Chef Patricia Clark
