From fried fish in the previous post, to luxurious fish eggs in this one… A couple of weeks ago, a small paper bag was delivered to our home. A note with instructions emphatically ordered the recipient to “PLEASE REFRIGERATE IMMEDIATELY!” A quick peek actually elicited a squeal of delight; resting within was a 50 gram tin of American Osetra, Osietra or Oscetra caviar on ice, a wonderful and extremely generous pasalubong from a friend and neighbor. I have written about this wonderful provedore Russ & Daughters before, and I love the store and many of its products. But I have never tasted their in-house line of upscale American caviars, so this was going to be a wonderful and totally unexpected treat.
Mrs. MM and I were home alone and settled in for a luxurious appetizer. Out came the rarely used mother-of-pearl caviar spoons from Balikbayan handicrafts. Some whole wheat toast points prepared. A little dish of pure cream was readied and the tin of Osetra opened.
Much has been said recently about the wonderful caviars from the U.S. They are not only more sustainable, their quality is giving caviars elsewhere in a world a real run for their money. I am beginning to see why. This Osetra was wonderful. Different from the Beluga we had in Istanbul a few years back, but still wonderful. The Osetra had smaller eggs, nearly jet black, and filled with the characteristic flavor of caviar, which is hard to describe other than salty, fishy goodness. A little shmear of pure cream, a spoonfull of Osetra resulted in a mouth filled with bliss. :)
I suppose it is fair to say this is an acquired taste. There are those who love caviar and those who hate it. If you fall into the former category, I suspect you would enjoy this tin of Russ & Daughters Osetra caviar, check out their shop and products, here. Meanwhile, other previous caviar posts beside the Beluga one include this French farmed Oscietra caviar, this more economical potato and caviar dish, caviar pie, and of course, a post on local bihud. :)
22 Responses
Oh wow!What can I Say?
Hmmmm yummy looking caviar, a simple pasta with this caviar and a bit of olive oil and cream would be nice.
The palate just knows when it is wonderful – from fried bangus daing to caviar!!! wheeee!!!
Once had a dish in Hong Kong that was a small taro puff surrounding a perfectly soft boiled quail egg then topped with osetra caviar. Pure genius in one bite.
You are very lucky to have good friends and neighbors….
would the yellowish (was it yellowish?) sack like thing in a galunggong’s belly be it’s eggs? because if it is then i think i like caviar already hehe! looks yummy though!!! more power to you! :)
They also make smoke salmon that is excellent.
Oh Russ & Daughters is on my list of things to-do before I ever think to leave NYC…I’d also stock up on their pickled goods (herring, whitefish, etc.) in a heartbeat :)
You are so lucky!!! :)
I’m sure that osetra tastes far better than this more affordable lumpfish ‘caviar’ that I got, and had it on toast as well! :) yummy!
Caviar and cream cheese on toast
Also made it with salmon pasta :)
MM, I’m curious – what cream did you use? I soooo love caviar …
First thing I thought of was Johnny Deep, then I realized my utter stupidity and got excited about the roe.
Great eats as per usual mate.
leigh, I use the plastic bottle in the chilled section at S&R labelled “pure cream” that is so thick it is lick soft butter… Sorry, I don’t recall the brand name and I am not at home so I can’t check. I think it is Australian.
oohh i love russ & daughters. such a great foodie stop in nyc, their bagel lox is delicious as well.
Yummy….
Where can we get that Osetra caviar in Manila? I guess it must be “suuper mahal”. But got to get a taste of it after reading this blog. Can’t wait till my next trip to the US.
On dear… please excuse me while I drool…
I have only tried caviar once… on a single buttered toast point. With a sip of red wine.
Great? Yes. Most definitely.
There’s a Santi’s location in one of the malls close to home. I hope I can find a small tin that’s within my spending range.
YUmmmm…..
This must be very delicious. This is not just food; this is a piece of art. I really love eating experimental food. I love to eat unique food, those that are cooked by Chefs who love to experiment. That’s why I like to watch cooking TV shows, local and international.
I remember a German friend of mine also loves to experiment different kind of recipes. He’s been staying in the Philippines for twenty years and he loves to combine German and European ingredients to make Filipino recipe like Paella (although originated from Valencia, Spain) and Pinakbet (with olives and capers). He also loves to cook the other way around, Filipino ingredients to make Chief Tomato salad, Hungarian Gulash, and Monggo Soldier Soup (composed of abundant red monggo beans, beef, local hotdogs and sausages with lots and lots of onions and garlic). He even make Sayote as a substitute for Potatoes to make Mashed Potatoes.
He also fond of caviars. I just don’t know where he got them. But this Osetra is really different. I hope I can have a taste of this delectable piece of art.;-)
Norma, they have good oscetra at Lusso in Greenbelt 5, but at retail prices. They also have it at Bacchus Epicerie and at Santis delicatessens…
Thanks a lot MM. I’ll definitely check them out this week. Hope they’re within my budget.
always good to have good friends. i love caviar and foie gras! i hope you had a good bottle of bubbly or vodka to go with that.
I love Russ & Daughters…their Salmon lox is wonderful and so are the pickled herring with sour cream and onions. They also have the cream cheese with caviar for a bagel spread.