Oscietra Caviar

Oscietra, also spelt Osetra or Ossetra, comes from the Russian sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, one of the three great Caspian species. Ask caviar lovers to name a favourite and Oscietra comes up more often than any other, for its golden to brown colour and mellow, nutty flavour. The fish is farmed across Europe and beyond, and the taste changes noticeably from farm to farm, so the producer matters as much as the name on the tin. We offer two. Our Italian Oscietra, from a cold-water outdoor farm in northern Italy, has firm eggs of about 2.8mm shading from golden brown to dark tobacco, with a finish that lingers. It has been a best seller since 2013. Black River Imperial is the top of three Oscietra grades from Uruguay's Black River farm, the first sturgeon farm in the southern hemisphere. Its eggs are larger, 3 to 3.2mm, ranging from warm brown to pale grey, firm and buttery. Italian Oscietra starts at £42.30 for 30g and runs to a 500g tin at £558, which makes it one of the best value classic caviars we sell. Black River Imperial starts at £52 for 30g. To compare them, the Oscietra Caviar Twin Set: Uruguay v Italy offers a tin of each at a small discount, and Oscietra also appears in our Best Sellers and Traditional taster sets. Oscietra is the caviar in many of our gifts, including the Champagne & Caviar Gift Box with Pol Roger Brut Réserve, whose finesse suits its nutty depth. Serve it chilled over crushed ice with a mother of pearl spoon, on its own or on warm blinis with crème fraîche. Allow 15 to 30g per person as a tasting, or 50g each for a generous serving.