Caviar has been considered a luxury since the time of Aristotle and is known for it's subtle, buttery flavour . The finest caviar should taste neither fishy, nor overly salty and should always be served cold.
Caviar is unfertilised sturgeon eggs. Only the eggs from three types of Sturgeon; being Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga, can be called Caviar. Classic caviar originates primarily from Iran or Russia, harvested by commercial fishermen working in the Caspian Sea. Today however, farming caviar has become very popular. This is due to regulations in trade, environmental concerns, prices and the increasing quality of farmed caviar.
Storage: Caviar must be stored in the coolest section of your refrigerator, preferably on ice packs. Never freeze Caviar as this ruins the aroma and flavour. Store opened Caviar with a peice of plastic wrap over the berries before placing the lid on the tin. Once opened, Caviar will last 2-3 days.
Serving: There are etiquette rules attached when eating and serving caviar. Caviar should never be served with metal utensils – the sensitive berries can develop a very off-putting metallic taste. Caviar spoons made from bone, mother of pearl or tortoise shell are traditionally used to enjoy caviar. Many caviar purists however insist that the very best way to enjoy caviar is to place the ‘berries’ on your hand (the back of the hand, between the index finger and thumb) and eating it plain from there. Note this method can be frowned upon when at a formal occasion.
When you come to choosing caviar for yourself, one is never better or worse than the other. Each variety of caviar has its own distinct flavour, size and texture. Waimea Trading has the largest selection of caviar in Australia. To learn more about each type of caviar just scroll through the below varieties.
Please note that all caviar is subject to availability, prices attract GST and caviar has a 90 day shelf life from day of arrival in Australia.
Farmed Oscietra is the youngest of the Oscietra sturgeon and produces the softest ‘berries’. The caviar ‘berries’ range from warm brown to greenish grey in colour, they have the same exclusive light nutty and delicate fruity flavour of the Superior Oscietra. However, due to the softness of the ‘berries’ the texture is distinctively creamier than any other Oscietra caviar.
Available in 30g, 50g, 125g and 250g tins.
The Superior Oscietra caviar has most of the same unique qualities that Imperial Oscietra has. The ‘berries’ have a light nutty flavour, which is creamy and buttery, but Superior Oscietra also boasts a unique delicate fruity taste. Farmed Superior Oscietra is also a slightly younger sturgeon than the Imperial and the caviar ‘berry’ is also slightly softer and creamier in texture. Many caviar connoisseurs’ prefer the nutty and delicate fruity flavour of the Superior Oscietra to that of the Beluga caviar.
Available in 30g, 50g, 125g and 250g tins.
Our farmed Imperial Oscietra caviar is incomparable to the wild caught Imperial Asetra. Both of these caviars are of exquisite texture and flavours. The Imperial Oscietra is the firmest ‘berry’ of the Oscietra caviar and has a quality very close to the Beluga caviar. The only real difference between farmed Imperial Oscietra and Wild Imperial Asetra is that the farmed sturgeon is raised in an environmentally friendly aqua farm, this ensures that the sturgeon is looked after and healthy before harvesting without affecting the worlds natural reserves of sturgeon.
Available in 30g, 50g, 125g and 250g tins
Waimea Trading are the first to import this rare Albino Beluga caviar into Australia.
This is the rarest and most cherished of all sturgeons, as an Albino sturgeon only comes along once in a blue moon. The taste and texture of Albino Beluga caviar is exactly the same as Beluga caviar; the ‘berries’ are large with a soft texture that are heavy and ripe and the taste is soft, buttery and delicate. The only difference between Beluga and Albino Beluga caviar is the colour of the ‘berries’; they are light beige to off-white to pearlescent in colour.
Available in 30g, 50g, 125g, and 250g tins.
Our farmed Chinese caviar comes from a fresh water reservoir, approximately 50,000 hectares in size primarily used as a source of drinking water. Beluga caviar is the most prestigious of the caviars’. This is because Beluga is the largest species of sturgeon; they grow up to 30 feet long and weigh up to 3,300pounds. The female Beluga does not mature to produce roe for 18 to 20 years, although they can live for 100 years. The Beluga’s scarcity makes it a very rare and exquisite treat. The ‘berries’ of the Beluga are the most fragile of the caviar grades, and the largest (3mm to 4mm diameter), they are soft in texture, heavy and ripe, and range from pale silver to pearl grey to black in colour. The taste is soft, buttery and delicate. Our caviar is also preserved in first grade salt from Russia making the taste mild yet mouth watering.
Available in 30g, 50g and 125g tins
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