Caviar and Seafood
Caviar Roe
Caviar is one of the great gourmet treasures. Originally sourced from the roe of the wild sturgeon (Acipenser) in the Caspian Sea, it was served as a delicacy at the table of the Tsars. Nowadays global Treaties have been entered into to protect the species, and the sturgeon fish are now farmed in various freshwater lakes and rivers around the world. The rarity of the product is linked to the age that the sturgeon takes to reach maturity. The caviar roe is named after the different sturgeon species.
The caviar roe is preserved with salt, known as the Malossol method, which uses a minimal amount of salt to preserve and protect the roe without damaging it.
There are various perceived grades of caviar, with Beluga caviar from the Beluga sturgeon considered to be the finest. This is the largest of the sturgeon species and takes the longest to reach maturity, hence the rarity of the roe. It has the largest and softest roes of all the sturgeon. The roe colour ranges from almost black to light grey and has a smooth, nutty flavour.
Next in perceived rank is Oscietra (also spelt Osetra and Asetra) caviar from the Ossetra sturgeon. The roe colour may range from deep brown to golden. The texture is creamy and the taste almost of walnuts.
Next in rank is Sevruga caviar, which is harvested from Sevruga, Sterlet and Baerii Siberian sturgeon. The roe colour ranges starts from a pearly grey. The taste has more minerality than the other caviars.
We usually have access to stock of the various caviars, however this is not guaranteed, due to demand, and can only be confirmed on receipt of order.
Wild Salmon Roe Keta
This roe comes from wild salmon in the Northern Pacific. The roe is large and bright salmon pink. A client of ours who grew up on the northern Alaskan coast tells us that in his area this roe is called Keta. He said that the Salmon roe that we supplied to him was the best he had tasted since his childhood.
Lumpfish Roe
This roe comes from the wild black lumpfish in the Northern Pacific. The roe is small and shiny black. This roe is ideal for use as a decoration and for serving on canapes for cocktail parties.
Seafood
We stock a range of fish products including White anchovies from Cantabria in Italy and from other areas of the Mediterranean; hand sliced tuna fillets from Italy; sardines, canned tuna and mackerel rillettes from Brittany.
We can supply fresh oysters and black mussels from the West Coast to our clients living within driving distance from the shop in Cape Town.