Elite Treat
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday September 4, 1999
Less is more when it comes to caviar.
Telemarketing consultant Trish Massey first tasted caviar about 25 years ago but has tasted "real" Beluga caviar only once.
"It [Beluga] had a beautiful flavour. I knew I was eating something really special," says Massey, who indulges her caviar cravings about every three weeks with a small $5 or $6 jar of salted fish eggs.
"There isn't any other taste you can compare it [caviar] with. It has a flavour of its own. A Russian will tell you there is only one way to eat caviar and that is with a spoon - nothing else except maybe a glass of vodka.
"Here it is more expensive and harder to get so you can't exactly eat great spoonfuls. Fortunately you don't need a lot of it. It is lovely when you have a little bit spread on toast with sour cream and a glass of champagne ... wonderful.
"It is difficult to find, it's expensive, you know it's special so of course it is an indulgence."
As the nation's stockpiles of caviar from the Caspian Sea dwindle because of an Australian import ban on the salty delicacy almost 16 months ago, connoisseurs are being forced to find alternatives or head overseas to indulge.
Babak Hadi of Queensland's Black Pearl Caviar, who was the country's largest importer of Russian and Iranian caviar before the ban, has only a "couple of hundred" one-ounce (about 30-gram) jars of premium-grade Caspian Sea Beluga remaining. The jars retail for $40 to $60 each and Hadi expects to sell the lot before Christmas.
"When that's gone, that's it until the ban is lifted," says Hadi.
"It is a terrible shame; it is hard to imagine New Year without caviar."
The import ban followed a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora decision in June 1997 to protect the shortnose sturgeon and the common or Baltic sturgeon, which have been fished to near extinction in the Caspian Sea in pursuit of their eggs.
Australia is regarded as one of the strongest supporters of such rulings - which is good news for the sturgeon but bad news for Australian gourmets.
"Australia is the only country to completely ban caviar [from sturgeon], which means Australians have to make do with another fish roe or go overseas," Hadi says.
"Of course, nothing compares with the real caviar but Japanese flying fish roe, or Tobikko, is very popular, as is Tasmanian salmon roe - but it has to be very, very fresh."
The Tasmanian alternative is sold either fresh or pasteurised for $10 to $15 for 100 grams. Fresh roe is lightly salted and sometimes frozen for transport, while pasteurised caviar is heated, cooled and sold in small jars.
"If you are eating fresh Tasmanian salmon roe it should be firm, not mushy," warns Hadi, who says caviar must be packed and handled carefully so as not to rupture the delicate egg membrane.
"Any fresh roe should be firm. If it has been frozen it should have been defrosted in a fridge very slowly over one or two days and sold within 10 days."
And while jars of Japanese flying fish roe in wasabi or chilli sauce have proved popular with Australian consumers wanting to experiment at home, Hadi advocates keeping condiments to a minimum to properly enjoy the delicacy.
"Fresh roe is delicious with just a touch of unsalted butter. If you are eating pasteurised caviar, which has a stronger flavour, it is nice spread on blinis with a little sour cream.
"And never ever add lemon juice to caviar. It is a terrible thing to do. It spoils the taste. You only need lemon juice to disguise bad caviar."
© 1999 Sydney Morning Herald