Sunday, February 5, 2012

Making Caviar with Hank Shaw and Hunter, Angler, Gardner, Cook

How to Make caviar with Hank Shaw of Honest Food Net!
© 2012 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles

How to Make Caviar!

"Caviar, the delicacy of Kings, Princes and Commissars. Think of gold, diamonds, Champagne, Ferraris, and what else but caviar. The finest caviar was from the Caspian Sea, from sturgeons that could weigh over 900 pounds and reach ages greater than we humans. It was carefully harvested, delicately salted to preserve it, and sent all over the world in sterling containers carefully packed in ice. Beluga was the most famous, and Ostreca and Sevruga were also revered by connoisseurs." (From Great Cooking)

As usual, for reasons that I don't quite remember, and who's torturous path through my synapses I can't even begin to fathom, I wanted to know how to make caviar.  Don't ask, I have no idea why, it's not like there are any fish in Afghanistan.

Well, there are some, but they real good at spotting an Afghan with an RPG. Seriously they shoot at trout with RPGs to collect them. Here.

Anyway, I started checking out caviar making, and lo and behold Mr Hank Shaw of Hunter Angler Gardener Cook did a whole write up on preparing salmon roe so you can on your way to making caviar.

"Caviar has always had a hold on me. It is a mysterious ingredient, almost otherworldy; the individual eggs look like jewels from an alien planet. Caviar tastes briny and vaguely floral, and the textural surprise of the pop in your mouth has led more than one writer to liken it to Pop Rocks for adults." Hank Shaw, How to Make Caviar

I would be remiss if i didn't mention the food photography by Holly Heyser; it is phenomenal!

 Photo credit: Holly Heyser
Makes you want to lick the monitor screen doesn't it?

So there you have it folks, another project for all of us to give a shot at come fishing season!

 If you have already tried it, please let us know how it worked out. We have substantial shad runs in Florida, and I am curious as to the possibilities of making caviar.. More research is in order!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member:  Lakewood Ranch Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

7 comments:

Bob said...

I remember reading an article about caviar a long time ago (pre-internet, or nearly) detailing the various types of fish roe that were edible by humans; as the supply of sturgeon around the world decreases, it might become necessary to rely on roe from other fish species. The roe of some species, such as gar, is actually poisonous to humans; a family from Arkansas found this out the hard way in 2010, it was in the newspapers at the time.

Albert A Rasch said...

Bob,
Fascinating bit of info and good to know! Hank points out that there are several traditional fish roes that can be brined and all have different nuances. I can't wait to try it out myself.

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
How to Bait Hogs

Ian Nance said...

Trout fishing with an RPG? That's matching the hatch! Great to see you back writing!!!

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook said...

Hey Albert, thanks for the shout-out! We're in our herring run here in Northern California, so I may just try to make some teeny caviar with those roes this year...

Nebraska Hunting Company said...

Nice post and interesting info! RPG fishing...You stay safe out there now!

Scott C

Albert A Rasch said...

Hank,
Happy to link to you any time! Your Blog is the summa plus ultra of foodie information.

Scott,
Thanks for stopping by! I try to stay away from the front end of anything that an Afghan is behind of.

Best regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
I Review the Nikon Monarch
Turkey Hunting Tips and Tactics

Bob said...

Looks like the Atlantic Sturgeon is going on the Endangered Species list, Albert:

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120208/articles/120209720