Sevruga caviar

Sevruga caviar is one of the highest priced varieties of caviar, eclipsed in cost only by the Beluga and Ossetra varieties. It is harvested from the Sevruga sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) native to the Caspian Sea, and may be distinguished from its more expensive cousins by the size of the eggs, which are generally smaller.^[1]

Sevruga is the smallest of the caviar-producing sturgeons. It can grow as far as 150 lbs. in weight and 7 feet in length. It is native to the Black, Azov, Caspian and Aegean Sea basins.

Because the Stellate sturgeon is the most common and reproduces more quickly, this makes Sevruga caviar the most commonly found of the sturgeon caviars, and the most inexpensive of the three main types of sturgeon caviar - Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga.^[2] It’s calculated that about half the caviar production comes from Sevruga. Sevruga caviar eggs are a pearlescent grey, and smaller in size than other sturgeon. The flavor is more pronounced than other varieties, often described as saltier, but it can vary depending on the origin of the fish. The caviar is packaged and sold in red tins.

Other types of Sevruga

A rare type of caviar known as Imperial Caviar, from the Sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus), a now nearly extinct species of sturgeon from the Caspian Sea,^[3] is sometimes incorrectly labeled as Sevruga, as well as the even rarer Golden Caviar from the albino Sterlet, the caviar being yellow in color. “Pressed sevruga caviar” can also be found, made of a blend of Osetra and Sevruga caviar that has been heated in a saline solution.^[4]

References

1. "Sevruga Caviar". Food Fancy. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
2. "Types of Caviar Caviar". Gourmet Food Store.
3. http://www.cites.org/eng/com/ac/16/16-7-2a5.pdf
4. "World Markets and Industry of Selected Commercially-Exploited Aquatic Species with an International Conservation Profile". FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS.