Thursday, January 31, 2013

Cure White Sturgeon Caviar

Sturgeon caviar is cured with kosher salt in a brine.


Sturgeon fish roe, called caviar, is a highly prized treat around the world, commanding up to $100 an ounce. White sturgeon must be carefully nurtured and allowed to live for up to 10 years before females can be harvested for the roe. While curing caviar is a simple process, it takes experience to esure that the caviar is not over-salted and is adequately prepared


Instructions


1. Separate the roe from the sturgeon ovaries. Use a metal screen with quarter-inch gaps to press the ovaries, which separates the eggs. Take care to manipulate the ovaries without damaging the eggs.








2. Weigh the roe. For each unit of roe, make a brine of two units of cold water and a half-unit of kosher salt. For example, 1 ounce of roe would require 2 ounces of cold water and 1/2 ounce of kosher salt.


3. Put the roe into the brine. Gently fold the roe into the brine and allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixture.


4. Gently hand-pack the roe into small tins. Refrigerate overnight.

Tags: kosher salt, cold water, into brine