What is it?
Fish eggs. Yup – that’s really what all the fuss is about. Tiny little itty-bitty black fish eggs, absent-mindedly plopped out by sturgeon fish in between bouts of swimming about, snaffling algae and getting away from sharks. King Edward II of England declared the sturgeon a ‘royal fish’ back in the 1300s after tasting its wares, and miniature platters of the exuberantly priced roe have appeared at decadent banquets across the land ever since.
At this very moment, 22 of the finest Siberian sturgeon are merrily sploshing about in a Mussaffah fish farm, having been air-lifted into the country from Germany last month. They’re the key part of plans to turn AquaOrbis (a joint venture between local group Bin Salem Holding and Germany’s United Food Technologies) into the biggest caviar factory in the world, with a projected output of 31 tons of caviar every year.
The first harvest isn’t due to be ready until the end of 2011, but when it arrives, expect to see caviar becoming increasingly common on the city’s menus. Never dabbled with the black stuff? Allow us to provide some crucial pointers…
How to eat it
Wolfgang Fischer, executive chef at Emirates Palace, has these tips for making the most of your caviar:
What’s the difference between the various types of caviar?
‘The simple rule is the more expensive your caviar is, the better it will taste. Beluga is the best – it has a smooth, nutty flavour. Iranian caviar has a slightly smoother, silkier and less salty flavour than Russian varieties.’
What should it be eaten with?
‘Caviar goes really well with crème fraiche and very sharp chives. It’s good with toast, but that’s a bit old fashioned – we use sweet potato pancakes. It would also go well with a crisp potato rosti.’
Is there any special cutlery?
‘You have to eat it with a special caviar spoon, which is made from mother of pearl – if you use silver cutlery it may oxidise, which could change the taste of the caviar significantly, and give it an unpleasant metallic flavour.’
How should it be served?
‘You have to make sure it’s served cold – ideally at zero or 1°C. Any high-quality establishment will serve it in a bowl of ice.’
Where to get it
Cloud Nine: With its animal-skin upholstery and moody lighting, it’s obvious from the off that this is a place for those who take pleasure in sampling life’s more refined delicacies. So, along with a comprehensive lists of vintage bubblies and the finest Cuban stogies, you’ll also find a small caviar list, offering Beluga (Dhs1,250 per 30g), Imperial (Dhs995 per 30g) and Sevruga (Dhs890 per 30g) varieties. All come served with freshly made blinis, chopped egg, shallots, parsley, labneh and lemon.
Sheraton Abu Dhabi (02 697 0224).
Caviar Bar: Emirates Palace’s lobby-based spot serves up Russian Beluga (Dhs1,800 30g), Imperial (Dhs820 per30g) and Sevruga (Dhs800 per 30g) varieties, while its selection of Iranian roes also includes Osetra (Dhs1,100 per 30g), a golden yellow-coloured caviar that sports a nutty flavour. Though it’s not listed on the menu, they also serve white caviar – an extremely rare variety harvested from albino sturgeon that costs the same per gram as gold.
Emirates Palace (02 690 9000).
Pearls & Caviar: On the menu here you’ll find Iranian Beluga (Dhs2,200 per 30g) and Sevruga (Dhs1,300 per 30g), plus two varieties of French Prestige caviar: Sturia Primeur (Dhs800 per 30g) and Sturia Vintage (Dhs600 per 30g). The latter two are also available in 10g sampling portions, (priced Dhs300 and Dhs250 respectively) perfect for caviar newbies. There’s also a vegetarian eggplant ‘caviar’ served with the restaurant’s seafood platter, should you think those poor sturgeon have suffered enough.
Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri (02 509 8888).
