Making Caviar In traditional caviar-making, sturgeon are captured alive in nets, stunned, and their roe sacs removed before they are killed and butchered The caviar maker passes the roe through screens to loosen the eggs and separate them from the ovary membrane, sorts and grades the eggs, and then dry-salts and mixes them by hand for two to four minutes to obtain a final salt concentration between 3 and 10% (Small amounts of alkaline borax [sodium borate] have been used since the 1870s to replace part of the salt, making the caviar taste sweeter and improving its shelf life, but the United States and some other countries forbid borax in their imports.) The eggs are allowed to drain for 5 to 15 minutes, filled into large cans, and chilled to 26ºF/–3ºC (the salt prevents freezing at this temperature) The most highly prized caviar is the most perishable It goes by the Russian term malossol, which means “little salt,” and ranges from 2.5–3.5% salt The classicCaspian caviars have distinctive sizes, colors, and flavors Beluga is the rarest, largest, and most expensive Osetra, the most common wild caviar, comes mainly from the Black and Azov seas, is tinged with brown, and has a flavor reminiscent of oysters Sevruga caviar is dark and has a less complicated flavor “Pressed caviar” is a relatively inexpensive, saltier (to 7%), strongtasting paste made from overmature eggs, and can be frozen Salmon and Other Caviars Russia pioneered the development of salmon caviar in the 1830s, and it’s a delicious and affordable alternative, with its striking red-pink translucence and large grains The separated eggs of chum and pink salmons are soaked in saturated brine for 2 to 20 minutes to achieve a final salt level of 3.5–4%, then drained and dried for up to 12 hours Lumpfish caviar ... relatively inexpensive, saltier (to 7%), strongtasting paste made from overmature eggs, and can be frozen Salmon and Other Caviars Russia pioneered the development of salmon caviar in the 1830s, and it’s a delicious and affordable alternative, with...ranges from 2.5–3.5% salt The classicCaspian caviars have distinctive sizes, colors, and flavors Beluga is the rarest, largest, and most expensive Osetra, the most common wild caviar, comes mainly from the Black and Azov seas, is tinged with brown,... translucence and large grains The separated eggs of chum and pink salmons are soaked in saturated brine for 2 to 20 minutes to achieve a final salt level of 3.5–4%, then drained and dried for