Once a delicacy of the East—first harvested by ancient Persians and later popularized by Russians—caviar has evolved into a global culinary obsession. No longer limited to blini and crème fraîche, fish roe now tops everything from amuse-bouches to desserts. “It’s become less fussy than it used to be,” says Sarah Meyer, the former Hollywood producer who founded Los Angeles–based Roe Caviar. “It’s really fun to serve it with potato chips or on a lobster roll. There are so many ways to eat it.”
While it’s still a signifier of luxury on Michelin-starred menus, caviar now dresses up such quotidian treats as the famed grilled cheese at Caviar Kaspia in Paris and New York; tater tots at the private New York Yacht Club; chicken nuggets at the Korean-American-influenced COQODAQ in New York City; and karaage-style fried chicken at Cayao by Richard Sandoval at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol.
Caviar is mixing it up with globally inspired dishes and ingredients, too. At San Francisco’s Z & Y Peking Duck, the traditional Beijing Peking duck is paired with Regiis Ova Caviar (co-founded by chef Thomas Keller and caviar expert Shaoching Bishop), a 12-year-old roe with buttery and nutty flavours, cured for anywhere from three to 12 months. Mediterranean flavours are added to the mix at Evelyn’s restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale, where the caviar service presents Regiis Ova roe with labneh in place of crème fraîche.
Dessert menus are sweet on caviar, too. Los Angeles’s Verse restaurant puts caviar on cheesecake, while Uoichiba, also in L.A., offers a dollop of Astrea caviar atop its Monaca ice cream sandwich featuring salted yuzu sorbet and cheesecake.
Caviar could be paired with almost anything. However, there is actually a wrong way to serve it. “The general rule is to avoid using silver; it can leave a faint metallic taste,” says Hermes Gehnen, founder of N25 Caviar.
Want to keep things old-school and classic? At Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, Surfside, Florida, sommelier Christian Zaffarano loves pairing caviar from N25 Caviar with Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle No. 26 Champagne. “The acidity and minerality keep your palate fresh after every salty, briny bite,” he says. And at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, guests at the speakeasy-style Veil & Velvet lounge use a playful “Press for Caviar” button to summon tableside service of The Only Caviar (actor Aaron Paul’s caviar brand). The purest way to consume the delicate fish roe is with little “bumps” served straight from the tin to the back of the hand, allowing the caviar to warm slightly before it’s enjoyed.
