Definitive Caviar Tasting Guide 
Create the Perfect Experience

Caviar is a luxury in life that should be properly savoured so, to make sure you get the perfect tasting experience, let’s talk about how to enjoy it at its absolute best. 

Prepare for a Special Treat

First, work out how much you’ll need - we recommend between 6-12 grams per person as a taster.  

Store it in the coldest part of your fridge, which is usually the bottom at the back - the oils and salt will keep it from freezing. Ideally, it needs to be kept between -2 and +2ºC.

"When you taste it, you’ll taste a bit of salt. But once the eggs burst, you’ll experience the flavour of the coast ... that aroma will erupt in your mouth."

OUR OWN JOHN ADDEY TALKS TO THE DALESMAN

Serving your Caviar

You should always serve Caviar as fresh as possible, so keep it unopened and chilled until you need it, whether that’s in the fridge or on the ever-popular bed of ice. Remove the container, still unopened, 5 minutes before you are due to serve it, just to bring it a little closer to room temperature - then open when you’re ready.

Once opened, your Caviar will last (covered and in the fridge) for a maximum of 2 days.

Myths, Mystique and Metal

Part of Caviar’s mystique comes from the ceremony which has grown up around it and the creation of myths which contribute to its elitist image - the most widely propounded of these being that you mustn’t use any kind of metal cutlery to serve.

Actually, if you wished to, you could use good old Sheffield Stainless Steel - and some in the know do just that (though possibly only in private).

However other metals, including silver and gold, are a no-no, as the salt used to cure the eggs reacts to give an unpleasantly metallic taste - not what you want from your extra-special treat!

The myth comes from the time when European royalty began to eat Caviar. Being royal, they used cutlery made of silver and gold. When it was discovered that this spoiled the taste, they changed to mother of pearl - another suitably refined and regal option.

And so to this day, it is traditional to serve Caviar on spoons made of mother of pearl, like these from Duebel, and there’s no doubt it helps to create that special feeling of ceremony. But essentially, any inert material would be fine - ceramic, glass, olive wood, stainless steel and yes, even plastic.

As you can see, KC Caviar is so versatile it can be taken with, Crab, lobster, Halibut, Salmon, Scallops and especially egg.

With Simple Pleasures...

There are lots of opinions on what you should eat your Caviar on, and the truth is that it works well on all kinds of dishes as long as they are not too strongly flavoured (otherwise you lose the delicate taste of the Caviar).

The most traditional way of eating Caviar is as the Russians do, on blinis. Similarly, many use crackers, or lightly toasted bread, perhaps with butter on the side.

The truth is that Caviar is hugely versatile - just don’t cook it, as you’ll lose the flavour. It pairs particularly well with most fish dishes, with cucumber and salad and also with eggs (our favourite? Scrambled).

But in our opinion? Its perfect partner is the humble potato.

Whether that’s little, salty roasted new potatoes, creamy, buttery mash or our friend John Quilter’s incredible Maris Piper stacks, the subtle earthiness of the potato offsets the Caviar to perfection. Here at KC, John Addey swears by adding a little spoonful to top his bangers and mash!

For a little more party food inspiration, under the video of John’s visit to the facility (link above and here) you’ll also find recipes for his incredible Caviar taramasalata with homemade flatbread - delicious!

more recipes

"What you’ve got here (with KC Caviar) is adult popping candy…"

CHEF JOHN QUILTER, THE FOOD BUSKER

On the Side

Finally, let’s talk drinks. The ideal accompaniments to your KC Caviar are:

A chilled, dry Champagne gives the perfect counterbalance to the savoury saltiness of the Caviar.

Go Russian with a traditional ice-cold shot of vodka. There are so many great craft varieties to choose from these days, including many brewed right here in the UK, that you’re spoilt for choice.

As an alternative to champagne, you could try a good dry white - a New World Chardonnay or a crisp Burgundy (like a Chablis or Pouilly-Fuissé) complements the delicate flavour of Caviar well.

A recent discovery was that KC Caviar pairs incredibly well with fine cognac. This was news to us! It’s not a combination we’d considered before, and one for which we owe a big thanks to Brian Copeland, Private Client Director of Remy Martin, who brought it to our attention after pairing our Caviar with their legendary Louis XIII Cognac.

And we must say that we wholeheartedly agree with his recommendation - it’s delicious!

And we wouldn’t forget the beer lovers amongst us! Though a darker brew will overwhelm the Caviar’s flavour, a lager - or even a wheat beer - will work well, cleansing the palate to allow you to better appreciate the experience.