4 Favorite Caviar Recipes with Food and Wine Pairings

As the bottles of champagne begin to flow, foodies and lovers of the good life turn to caviar, the delicious salted fish roe (mostly sturgeon) essential to any luxurious gathering. This holiday season, try one of these recipes featuring dollops of caviar. The food stars shared some of their favorites, from a simple caviar starter on rich brioche to a crab and caviar cocktail, from homemade buckwheat blinis to an elegant combination of snow pea pearls and caviar pearls. Read on to discover these sumptuous bites, plus tips for buying and enjoying caviar.

This recipe for brioche toast with caviar comes from San Francisco chef Michael Tusk, the name of the famous restaurants Quince (winner of the Best of Award of Excellence) and Cotogna. Slices of soft brioche are seared in clarified butter, resulting in an even richer bite when served with umami-laden caviar. Although these toasts can be made in advance, Tusk says they taste best a la minute: “Your guests will want to make them themselves after trying the first bite.”

This recipe from Chef Megan Bickford combines two of her favorite Louisiana treats. (Denny Culbert)

Hailing from the award-winning Commander’s Palace, this recipe is a play on one of New Orleans’ classic cocktails: the Ramos gin fizz. The frothy, floral, tangy drink is served in a shot glass over lemon-marinated blue crab and topped with a dollop of Louisiana butterfly fin caviar. As executive chef Meg Bickford explains: “I wanted to bring these two beautiful things together, but it never worked out. And then I realized I was trying to make things too complicated. And it literally should be those two things together. Paired with a salty, lemony Albariño, this dish is a great way to get any party started.

For culinary director Robert Sisca, the taste of caviar takes him back to the time he worked at Le Bernardin. (Adam DeTour)

With all the pomp that surrounds opening a can of caviar, it doesn’t seem right to serve it over blini pre-made from a package. For those looking to up their caviar serving game, try this fresh blini recipe from Grand Award-winning Grill 23 in Boston. Made from a blend of buckwheat and all-purpose flour, accented with chives, these little morsels are the perfect stage for culinary director Robert Sisca’s classic, luxurious spread of Golden Ossetra caviar, finely cut hard-boiled eggs, crème fraîche, capers and more. . Wine director Hugo Bensimon suggests pairing the platter with Krug’s Grande Cuvée, which combines freshness and flavor, because what’s better for parties than caviar and champagne?

Pea tendrils add even more beauty to this simple appetizer. (Ray Kachatorian)

This dynamic duo of snow peas and caviar, served with lightly smoked crème fraîche, is a fantastic starter in any season. (This dish originally came from chef Curtis Stone’s Maude restaurant in Beverly Hills, which he closed earlier this fall to replace with the Pie Room, but he still runs Best of Award of Excellence, in Los Angeles.) Stone suggests finding the freshest snow peas possible so the peas and caviar pop in your mouth. Served with a Grüner Veltliner with a blend of bright acidity, vegetal flavors and saltiness, this dish is simple but incredibly rich in flavor.

Caviar Buying Guides

Gift guide for caviar connoisseurs

This gift set from Regiis Ova is sure to impress any caviar lover. (David Escalante)

Righteous person tastes caviar. For those on your “nice list” who just can’t get enough of the good stuff, Wine spectator has just the gift guide you need, from a big box that’s sure to impress to a special charm that hides a surprise.

New Wave Caviar

Excellent caviar can come from many places around the world, from China to Belgium and beyond. (Lucy Schaeffer)

Editor-in-Chief Owen Dugan analyzes the latest generation of caviar labels on the market, from the best of traditional to new locations and approaches, and finds that the quality of more affordable caviar has never been better. From names like celebrity chef Thomas Keller to China’s Pearl Street, each of these boxes is sure to impress.

American caviar

North American caviar was once considered inferior to wild sturgeon from the Black and Caspian Seas, but advances in aquaculture, rebounding sturgeon stocks and an emphasis on alternative fish have placed American options first. Spotlighting growers from Idaho, Louisiana, and New York’s Long Island, this guide highlights three of our favorite examples of this homegrown delight.

Just like wine, caviar can be accompanied by numerous rituals, labels and tasting steps that can confuse the uninitiated: do I Really need this little mother-of-pearl spoon? How do I know if the fish eggs in front of me are good? But just like wine, tasting caviar is easy once the basics are explained. Editor-in-Chief Bruce Sanderson discovers the answers to these questions and more in this video with caviar expert Lelio Mondella.