Long considered the epitome of indulgence, caviar was traditionally reserved for luxurious hotels and fine-dining establishments, where it was typically presented in an iconic golden tin and accompanied by blinis, crème fraîche and a glass of fine Champagne.
The association with ultra-luxury spaces – and the price point – may have kept caviar away from certain establishments, but these shiny black pearls were never just a status symbol. And thankfully, caviar’s culinary uniqueness is now being recognised by a much broader range of restaurants. Chefs and customers alike have realised that a little goes a long way, and that the gastronomic brilliance of caviar lies in its briny intensity and the captivating way each individual fish egg pops in the mouth. Ways to serve this delicacy – no longer just a symbol of opulence – now seem to centre more on the fun to be had.
Take the caviar bump, for example: a small mound of the delicate roe applied to the back of the hand for party goers to enjoy in one mouthful – no need for a vehicle like the blini. Far from being mere frippery, this traditional practice serves a purpose: the caviar warms on the skin, releasing its aromas and flavours. It’s a ritual that became cool on the party circuit post-lockdown, filling social media feeds and prompting New York Times thinkpieces. Bumps helped refashion caviar’s image, injecting it with lightheartedness and invoking feelings of tactility and excitement in guests. This new embrace seems far from elitist.
The revival is also marked by the blending of high-brow and low-brow culinary cultures, and the popularity of caviar on fried chicken is the most obvious example of this. The concept appears to have originated in restaurants in New York’s Lower East Side in the early 2010s, with the combination now common across both sides of the Atlantic. At Bob Bob Ricard in London’s Soho, you can ‘Press for Champagne’ from your golden booth and, while you’re at it, order a tasting of caviar that includes Siberian, Oscietra and Amursky varieties. At the restaurant’s newer sister site, Bébé Bob, caviar arrives on chicken nuggets alongside mayo crème (an airier version of mayonnaise). The restaurant has even started offering caviar by the scoop.
At Jang in London, caviar is served with Korean fried chicken and steak tartare, while back in New York at Coqodaq, a Korean-American restaurant that boasts the largest selection of Champagne in the city, a trademark offering is The Golden Nugget. It is available in three versions: the 18 Karat, with ocean trout roe; the 24 Karat, with Golden Daurenki caviar; and the Black Gold, with truffle. ‘It helps that the pairing is delicious,’ says Victoria James, the restaurant’s executive beverage director. ‘It works so well, it’s hard to argue – like milk and cookies.’ The duo is a great match thanks to contrasts in texture, temperature and flavour: the hot, crispy, rich poultry against the cool, silky, saline fish eggs. Champagne completes an ideal three-part flavour combination; according to James, ‘birds and bubbles have been a sommelier favourite for decades.’
You’ll also find caviar, of course, balanced on top of nigiri at the world’s best omakase restaurants – from Tokyo, to Dubai and Zurich – as has been the case since the internationalisation of high-end sushi. It’s also woven into beef tartare at places like Sollip, a Korean fine-dining spot in London, and contemporary Greek restaurant Gallina in Athens, where it even makes an appearance atop a Basque cheesecake. But you cannot simply reduce the fervour to a couple of trends. The truth is that caviar’s versatility is boundless. And this means encountering it in the most unexpected places.
It has been served on a meadowsweet and chilli custard dessert at London’s Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant Kol, as well as in a take on guacamole using British ingredients such as courgettes, hemp seeds and confit potatoes. At Quintonil, in Mexico City, Oscietra caviar finishes a dessert of crème fraîche ice cream, passion fruit and melipona honey. ‘It’s just another ingredient,’ says Jorge Vallejo, the restaurant’s executive chef. Successful integration of caviar into Mexican cuisine has relied on treating it as an ingredient on its own terms, rather than a symbol of luxury; the Oscietra used in the dessert was chosen for its saltiness, nuttiness and, more unusually, fruitiness (it comes from sturgeons caught in a specific lake where they subsist on mangoes) – something that complements but doesn’t outshine the sweetness of the honey.
What about Indian cuisine? Chef Chet Sharma at London’s BiBi uses N25 Schrenckii caviar on a coconut barfi dessert and N25 Beluga caviar on a spiced Orkney scallop dish, with caviar seen as the perfect counterpoint to the ajwain (wild celery seeds) that feature. ‘We always try to integrate ingredients in unexpected ways, whether in the pairing or in the technique,’ says Sharma. For the scallop dish, which is prepared with a sauce infused with wild celery (an ingredient favoured in seafood dishes by his paternal grandmother) and yellow chillies, new boundaries are pushed in ‘proving that chilli and caviar can definitely work together’. As for the dessert, Sharma says that Schrenckii has an almost almond-like flavour. ‘The caviar’s slightly nutty taste complements the sweetness of the coconut.’
For Hermes Gehnen, the young entrepreneur behind the groundbreaking caviar house N25 – which has gone to great lengths to shine a light on the diversity and accessibility of caviar, and which now supplies restaurants around the world – this new dynamism is very much welcome. N25’s Umai brand, Gehnen says, offers a ‘more approachable and playful’ caviar, sold not by sturgeon species, which can be confusing, but by flavour profile, instead: from oceanic and creamy, to delicate and nutty.
Caviar’s versatility is boundless. And this means encountering it in the most unexpected places
I’ve encountered caviar in many weird and wonderful dishes, and each has been gastronomically mind-expanding. The most surprising combination? Caviar and plantain. First, at Michelin-starred modern West African restaurant Akoko, where briny and luscious Exmoor caviar combines magnificently with goat and a velvety cashew cream in a dish of miniature tatales (Ghanaian plantain pancakes). Then, at Máximo in Mexico City, where those complex pearls of slightly fruity Oscietra adorned a spongy plantain bread alongside grassy borage flowers and a dill crème fraîche sauce. I can’t wait for my next surprise.
Four caviar styles and the Champagne to drink with them
Oscietra
Caspian Sea/Black Sea
‘This legendary variety is complex and robust, with aromas of grain and dried fruits,’ says Coqodaq’s Victoria James. ‘Oscietra to me tastes like little pops of butter on the palate. It is really incredible with Champagne, because it has this fatty, nutty taste, and weight to it.’ For James, Oscietra is a superversatile caviar that pairs with most Champagne styles, especially cuvées made from all three major grape varieties. Her favourites? Anything from Egly-Ouriet, Doyard or Chavost.
Beluga/Kaluga
Caspian Sea/Amur River
‘Due to overfishing, Beluga is banned in the USA, but its close cousin Kaluga has a similarly rich, warm and buttery burst,’ says James. ‘It’s amazing with aged vintage Champagne with weight and texture – like the 2006 Krug Clos du Mesnil or 2006 Georges Laval Les Chênes,’ she adds.
Baïka
Lake Baikal in Siberia
‘From the cold waters of Lake Baikal in Russia, but for those who love the briny, salty flavour of the sea,’ James says. She recommends pairing Baïka caviar with something that’s saline-rich but also fruity, for a nice contrast. ‘Or try Champagnes with bright acidity, like Suenen or Savart.’
Amursky (Schrenckii)
Amur River
Leonid Shutov, founder of Bob Bob Ricard, says that this style of caviar is known for its large, firm pearls and rich, buttery flavour with a hint of walnut. ‘The ideal match would be the 2013 Dom Pérignon, whose subtle saline finish enhances the briny notes of the caviar. The DP’s balanced structure and crispness contrast well with the caviar’s creamy, rich texture.’
And for something different…
Royal Siberian
Siberia
Caviar is also an excellent match for a Martini, a combination that Agostino Perrone, director of mixology at The Connaught Bar in London, describes as a fragrant and aromatic tasting journey. ‘The elegant saltiness of the Royal Siberian caviar enhances the botanical notes of the gin and vermouth in the cocktail.’
