How To Serve Caviar

Caviar is the most elegant of appetizers but how many of us really know how to buy, serve or store it?

From the eggs of sturgeon, this delicacy was once so common it was given away for free in bars to cause thirst and encourage drinking! These days, it's not quite so common and serving it at your party could be a hit if you know how to handle it properly.

For a typical party, you should plan on at least ½ oz per person. Caviar must be kept cold at all times but don't freeze it. As soon as it starts to warm up it loses taste so store it in the fridge and place the dish in a bed of ice when serving.

To serve, make sure there are plenty of non metal spoons and don't serve it in a metal dish. Caviar that comes in contact with metal will take on a metallic taste that is not desirable. Traditionally, tiny mother of pearl spoons were used to place dollops of the eggs on crackers or toast. Remember when handling that it is very fragile and the eggs can easily be smooshed so be gentle.

When serving caviar, you can accompany it with the traditional toast with cream cheese or plain bread. Other foods that can accompany it are chopped onion, boiled egg, chives and capers. It also goes well with vodka, white wine or champagne.

Opened Caviar should not be stored for longer than 3 days, but unopened it has a shelf life of about 6 month. Caviar eggs come from sturgeon, salmon, whitefish and bowfin.