Once a year seems like a nice frequency to enjoy some really good caviar. With the holidays approaching, some of you might be in the mood for salted fish eggs… Last year, my caviar post on Iranian Beluga Caviar was something special, and I don’t anticipate more of that quality of wild caviar for many, many more years. So when this small tin of very good French farmed Oscietra arrived at our home on a little ice, I wondered what I had done in the recent past to deserve this extravagant gift…
We brought the tin of caviar out to the beach, and The Teen had six friends over, all of them celebrating some major teenage milestone… And of course they happened to wander into the kitchen just as I was getting ready to selfishly indulge in my little tin of Oscietra. Little squares of brioche toasted with a little shmear of sweet butter and topped with some caviar… All of the girls had one small serving and every single one of them, to my surprise, enjoyed it. But the rest of the tin was for me and Mrs. MM!
Farmed caviars are the gourmand’s answer to indulging without guilt. And I must say, this was a fantastic tin of oscietra! I don’t eat caviar enough to even dream of differentiating the slight nuances between different types of caviar, but you can easily tell good from bad.
There aren’t many places you can indulge in this delicacy in Manila, but I noticed Margarita Fores’ Lusso at Greenbelt 5 has an interesting selection in case you received an unexpected inheritance, large performance bonus or just want to indulge. Bacchus Epicerie should also be bringing some caviar in for the holidays. And Santis delicatessens have a selection on offer as well. And Marketman’s kuripot tip? S&R sometimes carries both black and red fish roe. If you mix the red roe with blitzed salmon and cream cheese (don’t blitz the roe), it makes a VERY luxurious sounding canape and a fraction of the cost of the finest caviars! Enjoy!
23 Responses
Lucky you!!!! You must have been a saint or something in your other life.. he he he…
I saw a segment before in cable, in Discovery, I think, about farming salmon for its eggs in New Zealand. They let the fish “sleep” in water (I am not sure what is in it), then gently squeezing their tummy to get the eggs, then returning the fish back to the water, for another season of spawning. Saves the fish for another lifetime…hehehe…
Wild iranian caviar,,,Most expensive caviar on earth,,but no one looks if where this caviar really from? part of russia also indulged in this business where they are better organise and less prone to abuse but iranians are not all,,caviar producers there dont actually get a good profit out of this business. they are controlled by gang-related businessmen right infront of their noses. they got a profit portion of only 2% from the actual amount! and business profiteers took the big chunk despite that they even manipulated the auctioneers..someone here should atleast visit the source and you may saw the truth! perhaps you may not want to eat caviar after that…they are too poor on that part of the world and the richest man also here prevails..life comparison is wide and abuse is rampant..
Hi MM,
Nice pictures of caviar on toasts, so clear, like I’m having some of them, too, over here.
Thank you for sharing.
where can i get sweet butter?
britelite, sorry, I should have been more specific… I meant UNSALTED butter. Usually, salt is not only added to add flavor, but to mask less good butter. So unsalted butter is generally a better choice… add salt to taste if necessary.
looks scrumptious… but pardon my ignorance MM, i have always wondered how caviar tastes like … :-) i don’t think i can have a taste of those in this lifetime! haha… i heard they are salty?
It’s alright to indulge just once a year…I had my fill of caviar some 4 years back on a cruise liner going to Denmark…Well, it’s salted fish egg! I also tasted the red roe, the grayish eggs and the blackest—I didn’t become a fan. Mayroon siyang “kagat” sa dila na hindi mo mawarian na para kang magkakaroon ng allergy na ewan…Parmesan cheese has the same sensation on my tongue. Kaya nang kumain kaming mag-anak sa isang hotel sa Oslo, ang sinubukan ko ay whale beef.
ang sarap naman… at malossol ha! :-)
Seems like a lot of good stuff arrives at your home, haha. That looks yummo! Just imagine snacking on that while watching the Pacquiao fight, hehe.
Hey MM, It seems like Santa drops by your place more than once a year!!! hehehehe…..good for you!
Talking of Pacquiao….will the Philippines beat Puerto Rico once again and be judge as “The best of the best”, just like the best pig ever? As for me, win or loss, I will have my Zubuchon this lunch!!! hehehe
Haven’t learned to like caviar although I try whenever I have the (free) opportunity. At least di masakit sa bulsa, hehe. I like the fish roe on japanese maki though. But I know it’s a far cry from good caviar. One step at a time…
MM must have done something really good in his past life or siguro masyado naman siyang deprived in his past life…kaya ngayon siya pinagpapala…hehe…I think caviar is too expensive to indulge in…makikikain nalang ako sa mga parties…hehhe!
MM…I suggest you also try the local ”CAVIAR” of Bataan…If you happen to visit Bataan…be sure to check out Balanga Fish Market or Puerto Rivas…for some ”KAPAK”…its Caviar like fish roe collected from Kapak Fish…Its pretty expensive too…a small shot glass costs about 60-80 Pesos…Balanga has some of the freshest sea foods too with a wide selection from crabs, fishes, shrimps…some of the rarest mollusks …”KITANG” fish-regarded as a local delicacy…and dont forget ”BIDBID” or Bonefish for an authentic Fish Ball Soup…yum!
treated myself to a small jar of caviar for my bday last weekend, not the priciest one but still indulgent (the cover was in cyrillic so couldnt tell where it was from). following your suggestion i smeared it on bread with butter. it tasted good although some friends did not ask for seconds. haha. i guess its an acquired taste.
MM, I wonder if these were the very same caviar that figured in the expensive dinners of the President’s party a while back at Le Cirque.
Hmmmm!!! Hehehe!!!
beach house+caviar+the Teen = perfect Mr. & Mrs. MM weekend!
China is trying to produce caviar of quality, and this can be bought in 1 kg tins, but it had too much salt when I tried it a couple of years ago. Still it was nice to indulge as required from the large tin in the fridge.
“If you mix the red roe with blitzed salmon and cream cheese (don’t blitz the roe)”
hi marketman! what does blitz mean? is it a cooking technique?
thea, sorry, to “blitz” means to put in a food processor to mix, or in a very strong blender and blend or mix… and keep the red roe separate and add it in after blitzing.
hahahaha thanks MM. i should have known. :D now i learned a new slang… blitz for the food processor, just like to “zap” it in the microwave… :D
@thea: you ‘nuke’ in the microwave…
thanks dragon. that’s a good one too! :D :D
This post reminds me if one of myfavorite indulgences: the caviar and champagne breakfast at one of yh tip