VODKA AND CAVIAR- Roe, roe, roe your boat.
Even someone with just a passing fancy in fish roe has heard of Beluga caviar. It’s the eggs of the Beluga Sturgeon, a massive fish from the Caspian Sea. It costs like $7,000 / sh 700,000 a kilo! (that’s IF you can get it.) Not only is the Caspian Sturgeon endangered, but it’s also actually illegal in some areas.
Don’t fear, however, the farmed Sturgeon will come to the rescue. Not only are these options more pocket friendly, but they’re ethical too. We don’t want the Sturgeon extinct, do we? You can also have roe from other fish sources like salmon and lump-fish. And even though not strictly caviar, these are delicious too. At the time of this article, Shoprite Supermarket has vegan caviar called ‘Caviart’ made out of seaweed. So, if you are plant-based, you can check that out.
Caviar ranges in both colour and size. From black to grey to green and even bright orange, depending on the source. The individual eggs can be small and tight or larger as in the case of authentic wild caviar. The flavour on the other hand…
WHY VODKA IS THE ONLY BEVERAGE TO PAIR WITH QUALITY CAVIAR
You’ve seen the photos of people toasting the New Year with a glass of Champagne in one hand and caviar in another. While this may work for a photo op, it doesn’t quite work for the flavours.
I’ve yet to find food as indescribable as caviar. Loosely, it tastes like fish, with salt and the sea. The flavours are very delicate and appreciating them means that you cannot disrupt your palate. The mild saline yet creamy iodine flavours are extremely easily lost to champagne that has only a very slightly high dosage.
Even if you have extra-brut Champagne, the bubbles of the fine wine will take away from the graceful pop of the caviar on your tongue; and the true enjoyment of caviar is not just about the flavour but is also a very tactile experience. Vodka is neutral enough to let the characteristics of the caviar shine through while simultaneously having just a slight zesty citrus-ness to it that it complements the briny nature of the roe. For lower quality caviar, some leeway is allowed. So, skip the wine for now and order some of the best spirits online. Alternatively, some quality wine retailers tend to stock some great spirits too.
HOW TO SERVE
Start by chilling your vodka. The vodka must always be chilled; much like a fine white wine. The caviar should be served chilled and always on ice. Have a plastic spoon on hand because, again, we don’t want the metal affecting the flavours. You can have the caviar on its own, spooning it on the back of your hand and eating it from there (just make sure your hands are clean and fragrance-free!). You can also serve the caviar on tiny blinis and neutral pieces of bread maybe with chopped boiled egg-whites or some creme fraiche if you want to jazz it up.
Most alcohol retailers, and even those who sell alcohol online in Kenya, tend to offer a variety of vodka options; so you’ll never out of it!
Next time you crack open a jar of caviar, call me, I’ll bring the vodka!