Salmon Caviar

Harvesting in new ways

By Sally James

Like Sturgeon Caviar, Salmon Roe (aka Salmon Caviar) has been enjoyed for centuries spanning continents around the world. Some of the earliest records date back centuries where it was a common food source for the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. However, in Russia it was a common food for the working class spread on bread and butter, and in Japan it was prized as a fertility aid.

Yarra Valley Caviar

Over the last 100 years, salmon caviar has risen to become more of a mainstream product, served to both royalty and on fine dining tables. In Japan it is not uncommon for households to buy bulk chum roe and marinate it in soy, sake, dashi, and other seasonings to serve with rice, sashimi, and sushi.

Unlike Sturgeon, where there are many species each with their own texture and price tag, the main salmonoids you will find roe from are Wild Alaskan, Chum, Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon. Rainbow and Brook or Idaho trout are also commonly farmed for both meat and roe. However, many varieties of roe are available if you seek them out - paddlefish, whitefish, tobiko or lumpfish to name a few.

As harvesters learn better techniques for removing the roe from the salmon or trout and processing it to retain its bright pop and soft texture, the quality of the roe has improved markedly. And many fisheries are now farming both sturgeon and salmon to remain sustainable and either selling the flesh once the roe is extracted, or performing methods such as C-section to allow the fish to survive.

One company to initiate a more humane and sustainable practice for harvesting salmon and trout roe is Yarra Valley Caviar, based in the lush southeastern state of Victoria, Australia. Huge gravity fed earthen ponds fed by the rapidly moving alpine fed Rubicon River are home to Atlantic salmon and trout. The fish live out their lives in this stress free environment, with no chemicals or artificial food, and a very low stocking density so the fish have plenty of room to swim with the pristine currents, mimicking their natural environment as closely as possible.

The fish at Yarra Valley Caviar are never killed for the roe. After 3 years of age, when the fish reach spawning maturity, they are individually sedated in a clove oil bath, gently massaged to extract the roe which pop out one by one, then put into oxygenated recovery pools before going home to their ponds until the next year. The fish live to around 10-12 years, and then used as compost for the company's expanding vegetable garden.

Approved by the Australian humane society and Best Aquaculture Practice , the company has put the health and comfort of the fish foremost. To ensure they are working to support the local environment, the water is oxygenated before flowing back out to the river, ensuring a clean refreshed river to carry on its journey. They are also aiming for total reliance on solar energy to run the farm.

As for the roe, because they are not removed from the fish in a sac needing to be processed, and are at their full plump maturity, they have a beautiful clean pop, and vibrant clarity. The roe are snap frozen in tins after a light brining and retain their pure texture for at least a year frozen, and three months once thawed.

Yarra Valley Roe are available pure, smoked (triple cold smoked with local Mountain Ash), Ikura Shoyu Zuke, a delightful marinade with soy, sake, wakame and bonito, and a partnership with Four Pillars Gin featuring a Roe infused with their Bloody Shiraz Gin.

Traditionally caviar, or salmon roe, have been served simply, with blinis and sour cream, or with sushi, but these days chefs are becoming more adventurous, incorporating into pastas, over crudo or oysters, in rich butter miso sauces with salmon on top. At home, roe is wonderful on scrambled eggs, toast and butter, or served with chips and crème fraiche and a glass of sparkling wine. At RockCreek Seafood & Spirits , you will find a variety of the roe in their oyster shooter choices.

The Seattle distributor for Yarra Valley Caviar is Raw Finds , 206-556-2860, for orders and enquiries.

www.instagram.com/yarvalleycaviar

November 2023

Sally James is an award-winning Australian author, educator, chef and television presenter whose books and recipes have won international acclaim for food & wine pairing, health and creativity. Sally is the author of eighteen cookbooks and publications, including her best-selling Simply Healthy—winner of the prestigious World Cookbook Awards, Versailles, France, 1999 for Best Health Cookbook; Fresh and Healthy–Winner of the 2001 IACP International Cookbook Award in the Health category; Simply Sensational, a finalist for the IACP Award in 2003; Escape to Yountville – Recipes for Health and Relaxation from the Napa Valley, and the Australian Heart Foundation Cookbook. Since relocating to the U.S. in 2001, James has been a guest presenter on the Food Network and UPN Networks, and has been featured in magazines including Cooking Light, Wine Spectator, Fitness, Family Circle, New York Times' Savor Wine Country, Plate, and Healthy Cooking. She has been a guest chef and lecturer for the American Heart Association, the Culinary Institute of America, Disney’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, COPIA, Aspen Food and Wine Classic, the National Restaurant Association Show, Draegar's and Publix Markets, the American Institute of Food & Wine, and Johnson & Wales Universities across the United States.