There is more to caviar than crème fraîche and blinis. While the classic preparation will never go out of style, there are so many other innovative culinary uses for caviar. We began looking into caviar recipes from renowned chefs when Jodi Moreno, a James Beard Award nominated chef and cookbook author based in Mexico City, started coming up with unheard of recipes using her favorite types of caviar. Using primarily caviar sourced from FultonFishMarket.com, she transformed her home into a caviar test kitchen operation, to find the best culinary uses for caviar.
“I’m surprised that caviar hasn’t been shown in a more creative way,” said Moreno. “If you think about it, it’s a very simple ingredient that adds so much. It’s flavor profile is mainly salty, but it adds texture too. And what can’t benefit from more of a salt enhancement?”
She got together with another chef to try caviar on things like bone marrow—contrasting the rich flavor with the briny caviar topping—and fried chicken—which she served with a sour cream-based aioli and caviar. At one point, she even made caviar quesadillas. Moreno compared integrating caviar into her cooking to using high-end ingredients (like a rare, crunchy sea salt) as a topping. By introducing caviar into a dish, you can essentially give it more depth and enhance the dish’s overall flavor profile. And so, with this in mind, we asked Moreno and six other exceptional chefs to share their favorite caviar recipes—along with the types of caviar they used for the preparation.
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Stracciatella and Raw Cream With Golden Osetra and Husk Cherry, From Chef Carlo Mirarchi
Chef Carlo Mirarchi, co-owner and chef at Roberta’s Pizza, likes to add Italian flair and flavor to his caviar, marrying the savory, saltiness of the caviar with creamy stracciatella. He opted for Caviar Russe’s Caspian Sea gold osetra caviar when creating his extravagant caviar recipe.
Ingredients
Stracciatella
Husk Cherries
Caviar Russe’s Caspian Sea gold osetra caviar
Cream
Olive oil
Lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
Allow the stracciatella to come to room temperature
Plate the stracciatella in a shallow room temperature bowl and finish with a tablespoon of raw cream
Half the husk cherries and season with sea salt, black pepper, lemon and olive oil.
Spoon a generous amount of caviar over the stracciatella and cream. Garnish with the husk cherry and finish with olive oil.
Clams in Creamy Beurre Blanc topped With Caviar and Beetroots, From Chef Grace Ramirez
Chef Grace Ramirez, a cookbook author and television personality who works with World Central Kitchen, chose to pair white sturgeon caviar with seafood for a dynamic yet bright dish. She favored farmed California white sturgeon from FultonFishMarket.com for her dish.
Method
Steam Clams, with a classic beurre blanc on top.
Incorporated some cream cheese into the sauce for extra texture.
Garnish with some diced beetroots, and topped it off with some white sturgeon caviar.
Caviar and Brioche, From Chef Angie Mar
Angie Mar, chef at the West Village staple Beatrice Inn, likes to pair caviar with another luxury food that contrasts the caviar’s briny, salty essence: bone marrow. It all comes together atop a generous slice of buttery brioche. She favors kaluga or sturgeon caviar from American Caviar.
Ingredients
1 two-pound square brioche
1 cup (219 grams) butter, divided
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (129 grams) rendered bone marrow, divided
3 ounces caviar (Kaluga or Sturgeon from American Caviar)
Cut brioche into slices each 1 to 1½ inches thick.
Method
In a large sauté pan over medium, heat half of the butter and rendered bone marrow until frothing.
Place three slices of the brioche in the pan, being sure not to splatter the fat, and toast, flipping once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Set aside on a paper towel, wipe pan clean, and repeat with second batch.
Cut the brioche into triangles, and arrange on a platter.
Serve the caviar in the middle, with a small spoon for DIY topping. Serves six.
Tofu With Platinum Osetra, From Chef Jeremiah Stone
Jeremiah Stone is a chef and co-owner of Contra and Wildair in New York City—both restaurants that are known for bold, innovative cuisine. That creativity comes through in Stone’s recipe, which pairs tofu with platinum osetra caviar from Regalis.
Method
This is a freshly made tofu using soy milk from Hodo Foods in California. We simmer it very low and add in a coagulant and stir it in quickly to set even softer than silken. It is neither drained or pressed, just served at room temperature.
After the tofu is set, a maple syrup reduction with mirin is made and poured on top for sweetness. A little walnut is shaved on top for nuttiness and some chives for bite. The caviar provides the umami and saline to this luxurious but very simple dish.
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Crispy Baked Potato With Crème Fraîche, Chili Oil, and Caviar, From Chef Jodi Moreno
James Beard Award nominated chef Jodi Moreno, a cookbook author based in Mexico City and the impetus for the caviar creations here, shared a refined, luxurious take on caviar by pairing it with a crispy baked potato instead of a blini. She used hybrid sturgeon caviar from FultonFishMarket.com.
Ingredients
1 Idaho potato
2 tablespoons of vinegar
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
For the chili oil
2 tablespoons of minced chilies (with their seeds), such as morita or pasilla
½ cup of canola or any neutral oil
Toppings
A spoonful of crème fraîche, yogurt, or sour cream
½ of a green onion, minced
A spoonful or two of your favorite caviar
Method
Place the potato in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and par-cook the potato until it is fork tender, about 45 minutes.
Pre-heat the to 450 F. Place the par-cooked potato onto a baking sheet and drizzled heavily with olive oil and season with salt. Bake until the edges are crispy, about 30-40 minutes.
While the potato is cooking, make the chili oil. Add the chilies and the oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, to allow the oil to infuse with the chilies. Remove it from the heat and set aside to cool until you’re ready to serve.
Assemble the potato. Spoon the creme fresh onto the potato, and then drizzle a desired amount of chili oil over the potato, add as much caviar as you like, and then finish with the mined green onion.
Salt Baked Beets With Wood Ear Mushrooms and Caviar, From Chef Sam Lawrence
Chef Sam Lawrence, culinary director at Estela, sources various types of caviar from Pointy Snout Caviar in Litchfield County, Connecticut. He uses the osetra caviar, which has fresh and nutty characteristics, pairing it with earthy vegetables like beets and mushrooms.
Ingredients
2 beets
A handful of wood ear mushrooms
A few tbsp of caviar
1 tablespoon white or light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chardonnay vinegar
4 cups kosher salt
Sunflower oil
Lemon juice
Method
For the beets
Mix 4 cups of kosher salt with half a cup of water until malleable. Coat the beets in the salt mixture, making sure they are completely covered in a layer of salt, allowing them to steam and cook evenly without drying out. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. To check if they are cooked, use a skewer or small knife to pierce the beet —there should be a very small amount of resistance as you pull it out. Let the beets cool in the salt. Once at room temperature, peel the beets.
For the wood ear mushrooms
Tear them in half and set aside.
To assemble
Slice the beets as thin as possible—they should be fully cooked but still have a little bite. Toss the beet slices with wood ear mushrooms and season with white (or light) soy sauce, chardonnay vinegar, and a pine of salt.
Plate the vegetables in a full bowl and add a few teaspoons of caviar to the top. Coat the dish in sunflower oil and finish with a couple drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt flake.
Salmon Croquettes With Caviar Crème and Grits, From Chef Sam Davis-Allonce
Chef Sam Davis-Allonce, who currently works with Fieldtrip, likes to pair a salty caviar with creamy grits and fried croquettes. It offers a slightly Southern take on caviar and allows the caviar to work in tandem with salmon for a savory delight. Chef Davis-Allonce created her dish with H. Forman & Son keta caviar from FultonFishMarket.com.
Ingredients
1 14.75-ounce can salmon, drained and flaked
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup onion, diced
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon white pepper
1-2 green onions diced
½-1 teaspoon Hot N Saucy Sweet Potato N Habanero hot sauce
¼ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
¼ cup crème fraîche
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon H. Forman & Son keta caviar
oil (for frying)
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon butter, plus more to finish
¼ cup stone-ground grits
Method
Drain the liquid from the canned salmon into a measuring cup. Flake the salmon into a large bowl. Set aside.
Gently mix together the canned salmon, eggs, onion, garlic, ¼ cup breadcrumbs, white pepper, green onions, hot sauce, cajun seasoning, and salt.
Grab about 2-3 tablespoons each of the salmon mixture – shape into croquette using your hands, into an oval shape, like an egg.
Lightly dip the croquettes into the extra egg mixture until it is completely coated, then into the breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Heat a small non-stick frying pan with a medium-high heat, then add oil about ½ cup. Let oil heat until it reaches about 350 F.
Gently place croquette in oil, then fry about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate with paper towels and serve warm with creamy grits.
Mix ¼ cup crème fraîche with juice of ½ lemon and 1 tablespoon caviar. Spoon over top of grits and croquettes, liberally.
