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A beginner's guide to caviar, and the best caviar to start with

Illustration of a first caviar tasting: an open tin on crushed ice, a mother-of-pearl spoon with a little caviar, a blini and a bowl of crème fraîche
A first tasting needs very little: a small tin, ice, a non-metal spoon, and a blini for the second bite.

The best caviar for beginners is fresh, lightly salted sturgeon caviar with large, firm pearls and a mild, buttery flavor, bought in a small tin of about 30 grams. Taste the first spoonful plain and cold, then try one on a blini with crème fraîche. Avoid very cheap, heavily salted or pasteurized caviar for a first taste: it's the texture and clean finish that make caviar worth it.

If you've never bought caviar, the first tin can feel intimidating. This guide covers the basics so you can buy with confidence.

The best caviar for beginners

You don't need the rarest caviar to enjoy it, but a poor first tin can put you off for good. Look for:

  • Mild and buttery, not intensely briny. Many farmed sturgeon species and hybrids, including kaluga crosses and many osetra, taste gentle and nutty. Saltier, stronger roe is an acquired taste.
  • Large, firm pearls. They're easier to taste: each one pops cleanly, and the texture is half the experience.
  • Malossol, a light salt cure. Too much salt hides the flavor.
  • Fresh, not pasteurized. Heat softens the pearls and shortens the flavor. See pasteurized vs fresh caviar.
  • A small tin. 30 grams is enough for two people to taste properly, and it'll all be eaten before it's past its best.

Our Imperial Ossetra is made for exactly this. Its large, olive-gold pearls are firm and buttery with a clean finish, and our 30 gram tin is $45 plus delivery.

How to taste your first tin

  1. Keep it cold until the moment you open it, then set the tin on crushed ice.
  2. Use a non-metal spoon: mother-of-pearl, bone, wood or glass. Metal can leave a taste.
  3. Taste the first spoonful on its own, or from the back of your hand between thumb and forefinger. Press the pearls gently against the roof of your mouth.
  4. Then try it on a warm blini with a little crème fraîche. See caviar and blini.
  5. Notice the finish. Good caviar tastes clean and lingers, without any fishy aftertaste.

More on what to expect in what does caviar taste like.

What caviar is

In the United States, caviar means the salted roe of sturgeon. Roe from other fish, such as salmon or paddlefish, has to be sold with the fish's name. Good caviar has only two ingredients: roe and salt.

Where it comes from

Most caviar sold today comes from farm-raised sturgeon, which is more reliable and more sustainable than wild fishing. Species and hybrids differ in pearl size, color and flavor. Opus Imperial Ossetra, for example, comes from a cross of Huso dauricus and Acipenser schrenckii, and it has large, firm pearls and a buttery, almond-leaning flavor.

What to look for

Five illustrated icons: salt and water for a two-ingredient label, a magnifying glass over whole pearls, a cold thermometer, a small tin, and a mother-of-pearl spoon
Two ingredients, whole glossy pearls, kept cold, a sensible tin size, and a non-metal spoon.
  • A short ingredient list. Roe and salt. Be wary of anything with preservatives or colorings.
  • Whole, glossy pearls that are not broken, cloudy or mushy
  • A clean smell of the sea, not strongly fishy or sour
  • "Malossol." A Russian word meaning "little salt", which describes a light, quality cure
  • Clear origin information. A good seller can tell you the species, where it was farmed and where it was packed
  • Fresh or pasteurized. Fresh, unpasteurized caviar has the best texture but has to stay cold and be eaten soon. Pasteurized caviar lasts longer but is often softer: see pasteurized vs fresh caviar.

What to be careful about

  • A very low price. Real sturgeon caviar is expensive to produce. A bargain may be a different roe, an older product or something that has been heavily processed.
  • Unclear labeling. If the label does not say what fish it came from, ask.
  • Poor storage. Caviar that has been kept warm will taste worse and may be unsafe.

How much to buy

Plan on 15 to 30 grams per person for a taste. A 30 gram tin is the right first tin for one or two, a 50 gram tin serves two or three people, and a 125 gram tin is good for a small dinner. Opus Imperial Ossetra is $1.50 per gram in 30, 50, 125, 250 and 500 gram tins, with a courier fee added at checkout.

How to store it

Keep fresh caviar in the coldest part of the refrigerator, between 28 and 32°F, and don't freeze it. Enjoy it within 48 hours of opening. See why caviar comes in a tin.

How to serve it

Serve it cold, on ice, with a non-metal spoon, and with plain blini and crème fraîche. See how to serve caviar and what caviar tastes like.

Opus Caviar offers same-day courier delivery across the South Bay. Choose your tin for same-day delivery.