Caviar guides

Caviar FAQs

• Caviar as a gift: how to choose, time and send it

  How big a tin to give, five gift ideas from a first taste to a celebration, and how to time a fresh caviar gift for the holidays so it arrives cold, the day it will be eaten.

• Sturgeon vs paddlefish caviar: what's the difference?

  Paddlefish and sturgeon are related but different fish. How their roe compares in taste, price and labeling, and what to know if kosher matters to you.

• What is black tobiko? What it's made from and how it's made

  Black tobiko is flying fish roe colored black, usually with squid ink, and seasoned. What's in it, how it's made, how it tastes, how it differs from masago and caviar, and what to check on the label.

• What is masago?

  Masago is the roe of capelin, a small fish. How it differs from tobiko, ikura and caviar, what it tastes like and how it is used.

• Why caviar comes in a tin

  The caviar tin protects the roe from light and air, keeps it cold and is part of the ritual of serving. Here's why it matters and how to open one.