Freshwater caviar puts roe back on the menu

Caviar - that is, the real McCoy from Caspian Sea sturgeons - is off the menu for many diners due to the declining population of the fish and soaring prices. So a US company, Collins Caviar, has developed a roe from the freshwater golden whitefish, which is native to North America. It produces a small, pale-gold roe that is mild in flavour and available smoked and infused with other flavours, such as citrus or black truffle. The company also sells roe from the bowfin, a freshwater fish not consumed commercially but which produces a naturally black roe with a subtle saltiness. Both fish are caught wild and subject to heavily regulated quotas, and their flesh is used after the roe has been removed to help reduce waste and overfishing. Price: bowfin caviar at $80/113g, golden whitefish caviar at $75/113g. Stockists include: Fergs Fish, Hampton and Beaumaris; Claringbolds Seafoods, Prahran Market; Canals, North Carlton.

Hilary McNevin