How is caviar obtained? Red & black caviar at a glance
It is generally known that the most expensive fish roe is the so-called black caviar (sturgeon caviar). In second place is red caviar, mostly from salmon. It is obvious that obtaining caviar is an elaborate, multi-stage and costly process. But have you ever wondered how caviar is actually made?
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Obtaining red caviar
It all starts with catching salmon. This is done with gillnets, trawls and other fishing gear used on special fishing vessels. The main fishing grounds are on the Pacific coast – in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. The fishing season lasts from June to October. The salmon are caught near the coast when they are on their way to spawn in the rivers.
How red caviar is processed
Processing must be quick and precise, as the quality of the caviar strongly depends on how long it remains in the fish. The longer the roe stays in the abdominal cavity, the lower the quality. Therefore, the fish are gutted directly on the ships or in floating factories. After opening, the entrails are removed and the roe is separated from the remaining tissue.
The fish are further processed, the entrails are discarded into the sea. The roe is rinsed with seawater and then sieved (so-called "shaking") to remove the egg membranes (skeletons). Afterwards, the caviar is passed through fine tissue guides to remove any remaining impurities.
Subsequently, the caviar is placed in brine (Tuzluk), where it remains for 10–20 minutes. Then, excess liquid is removed in a centrifuge. A visual inspection is carried out on an illuminated quality table. Afterwards, preservatives are added, the caviar is filled into small plastic containers, sealed and labeled – either directly for sale or for further processing in other packaging facilities.
Obtaining black caviar
Why is black caviar considered particularly expensive and exquisite? This is due to the elaborate process: Sturgeons are delicate, require over 1 m³ of water per animal, and have not been allowed to be caught from the wild for over 20 years. Breeding in aquaculture is costly and time-consuming – sturgeons only provide caviar for the first time after 7–10 years.
Today, the method of "milking" is often used – this involves incising the oviduct opening to extract the eggs without killing the animal. A "Cesarean section" is also practiced in small batches but is elaborate. Therefore, the most widespread method is the classic one of killing the fish.
What types of caviar are produced?
Depending on the degree of ripeness and processing, a distinction is made between:
- Grain caviar (Malossol) – unpasteurized, fine-grained, lightly salted
- Pressed caviar (Payusnaya) – treated in hot brine, then pressed
- Jastyk caviar – salted in connective tissue, in 10–12 cm long segments
To determine ripeness, small samples are taken with a probe. Depending on the processing, a distinction is made between lightly salted canned caviar, more firmly salted barrel caviar, and unclarified variants with skin (Jastyk).
Conclusion: Knowledge protects against bad purchases
Anyone who understands how caviar is obtained can better distinguish between the different varieties and qualities – and also recognize why prices vary so much.
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