Caviar
With the holiday season upon us, many of us will enjoy Thanksgiving feasts, followed by Christmas and New Years parties. Chances are, if it’s a dressy affair, they’ll serve caviar. This has always been one my favorite little indulgences.

Big, Old Fish
The majority of the world’s caviar comes from the Caspian Sea. Russia, Iran and Turkey have over-fished the sturgeon to the point where it is at great risk of extinction. In addition, polluted water and poaching have added to the problem.

Sturgeon are huge fish – up to 18 feet long. The female can take up to 25 years to reach sexual maturity where they can produce eggs. (They can live to be over 100 years old!) Some species reproduce only once every three to four years. Once the population is over-fished, it’s difficult for the population to recover to a healthy level, particularly while overfishing continues. Since 2006, the UN has banned the exporting of most caviar.

Fortunately, sturgeon farming is beginning to boom. Here in California the meat, as well as the caviar is used. The quality is there and prices are starting to come down – a bit. California white sturgeon is going for about $110+ for a 2 ounce tin.

Serving suggestion: Toast points with a dollop of sour cream topped by the caviar. The beverage of choice is either frozen vodka or very dry Champagne.

Note: Caviar tastes metallic when eaten off stainless or silver spoons. If you are making hors d’oeuvres and you don’t have an enamel or bone caviar spoon, go ahead and use a plastic spoon.