This is essentially a quick guide of Musts and Must-Nots when it comes to storing and using your Exmoor Caviar
Musts and Must-Nots!
Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to serving and eating caviar, but there are a couple of basic rules to follow to ensure you’re getting the maximum enjoyment from it.
Musts
Keep caviar cold- between 0-2°C is ideal but up to 4 is OK
Eat quickly- air and caviar are not friends. All caviar tins are vacuum sealed so when opened consume withing a few days. The longer it is left open, the worse it will become.
Understand what you’re buying- having a knowledge on what caviar you buy is essential. All caviars are different, even the ‘same’ caviar from different farms and countries will taste different so make sure to find one that is suited to your tastes
Enjoy! Caviar is a great celebration treat for birthday, anniversaries or holidays, but is equally good at any time so don’t leave your tin in the fridge for months and months!
Must-Nots
Overpower- caviar is rich, but also delicate so make sure to keep it the star of the show. Using strong flavours can overpower the flavours of the caviar and detract from it’s enjoyment
Skimp- when enjoying caviar, make sure to have the correct balance of caviar to everything else. Trying to stretch out your caviar only having a small amount per person/canape can result in the caviar getting lost in the dish. It can be better buying a less expensive caviar and having more, rather than a more expensive caviar and having less
Waste it! Caviar is an expensive product so make sure not to waste any. If you have some left over from your tin(not often an issue) or some that has gone a little too oily, then using it in a sauce for example is a good way to use it up.
The importance of Mother of Pearl with Caviar
Mother of Pearl, Horn, or Gold spoons are the most common and most luxurious way of eating caviar, with their neutrality ensuring that nothing else interferes with the delicate flavours of your caviar. When packing caviar, we often use soft edged plastic spoons and palette knives also so as not to damage the eggs or affect the flavour. Mother of Pearl is not only important for the flavour of caviar, but also contributes significantly to the aesthetic of serving. The shimmering rainbow colours coming though from the Mother of Pearl are beautiful, a fitting match for the caviar. Pearl plates are also available to complete the decadent set.
For any caviar consumer, they will no doubt have read that metal spoons will ruin caviar. Although there is some truth in this, it is not entirely correct. Ruin is a strong word. The metal will slightly oxidise the caviar and leave a slight taint of flavour behind in some circumstances, but not always. Do try to avoid using metal spoons where possible, but having caviar off a metal spoon is better than not having caviar at all!
Written By Harry Ferguson