Storified by ebanreb · Sat, Mar 16 2013 18:52:34
Throughout much of the Westernized world, caviar is considered a delicacy. It is often associated with lavish parties thrown by the rich and powerful. Traditionally, the caviar taken from the sturgeon of the Caspian and Black Sea regions has been considered the finest available to the consumer. However, recent decades have seen sturgeon populations decimated in this area due to overfishing.
America has long been the primary importer of caviar from the Black Sea Basin. In the past, as much as sixty percent of the caviar from this region was imported by the United States. This high demand has often been cited as a primary force driving the over fishing and illegal trade of sturgeon.
Paddlefish caviar is considered comparable to that of the Sevruga sturgeon, another Caspian Sea species. The color tends to range from dark grey to a golden color, but the eggs themselves are considerably smaller than that of the sturgeon. The flavor of the Paddlefish roe is slightly less salty than typical caviar, which is often considered an advantage.
While sturgeon populations in the Caspian and Black seas are being protected, and hopefully rebounding, American caviar is becoming the roe du jour. Farm raised paddlefish and sturgeon not only help protect wild populations, they also make the caviar much less expensive. For these reasons, many people are happy to forget the imports in this area and buy American.
Aubergine caviar to the tomato purée
Ingredients:
8 tomatos
1 onion
thyme
8 sheets of green basil and 8 purple basil sheets olive oil
adds vinegar to Jerez
salt, pepper of the mill
Method:
