Posts Tagged ‘Salmon’
Best Foods to Go With Caviar
Image by rohanlabs via Flickr
The absolutely best foods to go with caviar from a perspective of a caviar connoisseur is a plain cracker. For the rest of the world we appreciate a little variety. Caviar is a great hors d’oeuvre but when a host or hostess offers more to their guests, not only does the price of serving the hors d’oeuvre go down but the enjoyment level of the guest rises.
Because you are serving caviar and you wish to provide more of a selection to your guest, they probably have a more sophisticated taste than what is served at the average household which includes wieners in a bun or spray cheese on a cracker. Truffles, foie gras, mushrooms, smoked salmon and a selection of cheeses are a much better choice.
When choosing the additional entrees, make sure they do not have an overpowering taste to them. Even when you are serving more than caviar to your guest, the roe should still be the focal point of the menu.
For the daring hostess, the mixing of cream cheese with an American caviar is an acceptable way to serve this roe to your guests. The delicate and mild flavor of the cream cheese will never overpower the caviar, yet it will add a smoothness to the palette. This or butter are very common to mix with the lower grades of caviar. By absolutely more means or exceptions should the better grades be ever mixed with anything, not even a little lemon juice.
If you have chosen to serve the smoked salmon, make sure the flavor of this sea food is not too strong. This way the flavor of those that enjoy the salmon and then the caviar will not taste of smoked salmon when they wish to savor the delicate roe.
This rule of not having an overpowering flavor should not be broken. Many people like blue cheese which should never be served with caviar because of its powerful flavor. While this is still a wonderful flavor for many, it will ruin the caviar as the main appetizer.
The mushrooms that can be served along with the caviar are not of the breaded and deep fried variety. These should be thinly sliced and sautéed in a mild garlic butter sauce. This will be a wonderful complement to caviar and the other fine dishes you plan to serve.
Choosing the best foods to go with caviar is simple as long as they do not overwhelm the flavor of the caviar. The best way to know for sure is to test each paring out before you plan to serve them to your guests.
Related articles
- How to Serve Caviar (gourmetfoodblog.org)
- Caviar Recipes (gourmetfoodblog.org)
- Salmon Caviar (gourmetfoodblog.org)
2 CommentsSalmon Caviar
Salmon caviar has grown in popularity because of two main reasons. It is red and can help accent a dish better that black caviar. It is also less expensive so more people, who happen to be on a smaller budget, can enjoy its flavor. These are large eggs that have an intense flavor while presently being in an abundant supply.
The roe of the salmon is large and red in color for those that live in the salt waters of the oceans but spawn in the fresh waters of the rivers and streams inland. The red is thought to be a byproduct of the fresh water and the diet the salmon digest on their trip upstream. There is also another variety of salmon caviar that comes from the salmon farms of the great lakes in North America. Because these fish live exclusively in fresh water, their roe has a bright orange color.
The most common salmon caviar is from the Alaska Chinook and Coho species of salmon. Other species from which their roe is also harvested include King, Chum, Pink, Sockeye, Atlantic, Steelhead, and trout.
The nutrient facts of salmon or red caviar of a 1 ounce serving are as follows. There are 70 calories, of which 50 are from the fat content of the roe. There is 1g of total fat, 20g of carbohydrates, 1 mg of cholesterol, 1 mg sodium and 1mg of potassium.
Vitamins that are present in salmon roe are Vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B1, B21, B3, B6, Calcium and Iron.
Unlike their black cousin that is generally only consumed plain on a cracker, this caviar is frequently eaten with Gouda cheese, crisp bread, milk, and butter,.
The Salmon caviar is harvested from both wild and farmed species for the market place. On the farms, this roe is harvested in a non-destructive manner so the fish lives after the roe is extracted. This contributes to the bountiful supply and low processing of this delicacy.
Nice video of native salmon spawning in their natural habitat.
No CommentsRed Caviar
The rise in popularity of red caviar is due to its abundance and low price. Unlike its more expensive counterpart, the black caviar, this roe is from salmon.
Red caviar is harvested from three specific types of salmon. These are Siberian, hunchback and red salmon varieties in Europe. Each type has its own flavor and is distinctive with the Siberian being considered the best. The American varieties include King salmon, Chum, Sockeye, Pink, Coho and Steelhead.
Most of the red caviar that is found in Europe is produced by Russia and Iran. In America the largest produce is the state of Alaska. Unlike the black caviar that is harvested from wild sturgeons where the roe is taken by splitting the belly open, thus killing the fish, the salmon are harvested in farms. When the roe is taken from these fish farms, the mother is stitched back up so she can continue to produce eggs for harvesting in the future.
Some connoisseurs believe only wild fish produce the best caviar, so there are many producers of red salmon that still catch wild salmon for harvest. Unlike the sturgeon, there is a huge market for salmon meat and the fish is not left to die in the water after the eggs are harvested. There has also been a non-surgical extraction process called stripping that washing the roe out of the salmon that is being used, but many of the nutrients are also washed away with this technique.
The benefits of caviar are more than just being a rich person delicacy. It is also rich in omega-3 fish oils, vitamin B-12 but also high in cholesterol.
Red Caviar is larger than its black cousin, with a vibrant color and unique taste many prefer. It’s abundance along with the proper techniques to keep the species alive will help this product to be available for decades to come.
No CommentsBuy Caviar
