Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
Reader Favorites
  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved
 Rss
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
  • News & Politics
  • Things to Do
  • Food
  • Health
  • Shopping
  • Home & Style
  • Real Estate
  • Weddings
  • Travel

  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Trending Now in Food
  • RBG
  • Food Festivals
  • Makan
  • Michelin
  • Nationals Park
Food

Why Caviar Is Everywhere Right Now

Plus tips for buying and serving it at home.

Written by Anna Spiegel
| Published on February 1, 2019
Tweet Share
Caviar is having a moment–but with a fun twist. Photograph by Scott Suchman.
Caviar is having a moment–but with a fun twist. Photograph by Scott Suchman

Caviar is everywhere these days—and in the least expected places. We’ve seen sturgeon roe matched with fried chicken at Tail Up Goat and tucked into macarons at Siren. So why are restaurants going caviar-crazy?

“I want to demystify caviar—I want to make it fun,” says Siren chef/owner Robert Wiedmaier. “Everyone is like, ‘Oh, it’s so expensive and you only eat it if you’re an aristocrat.’ We need to change that.”

The reason it’s become more accessible (and affordable): Purveyors are sourcing a wider variety of roe and expanding to newer regions such as Canada and Israel.

While true caviar comes only from wild sturgeon from the Caspian and Black seas, other eggs can be very tasty, too. Domestic paddlefish caviar is a popular, less expensive alternative to imported osetra, while the trendiest roe with chefs these days comes from river trout. Similar to salmon, the smaller eggs deliver a briny pop of flavor that’s delicious on pasta or a lox bagel.

Buy It

BlackSalt Fish Market (4883 MacArthur Blvd., NW). The shop stocks everything from wallet-friendly salmon roe to Russian osetra.

Balducci’s, Bethesda, 301-564-3100; Alexandria, 703-549-6611; McLean, 703-448-3828; Reston, 540-317-3631. This upscale grocery carries its own brand of high-quality caviars, plus accoutrements.

Petrossian, shop online. The “first family of caviar” has been a gold standard for nearly a century, with dozens of varieties.

Serve It

Three ideas that venture beyond blini:

1. Go for a high/low combo of caviar, crème fraîche, and potato chips (Lay’s will do).

2. Swap in trout roe for bacon in a creamy carbonara, topping the noodles with the roe.

3. Fold paddlefish caviar into soft-scrambled eggs just before serving.

This article appears in our January 2019 issue of Washingtonian.

More: Balducci'sBlackSaltCaviarFood TrendsPetrossianRecipesRobert WiedmaierSirenTail Up Goat
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet
Anna Spiegel
Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Most Popular in Food

1

DC Distillery Releases Dissent Gin in Support of Abortion Rights

2

14 Fun Food Festivals Around DC This Summer

3

These Are the Top 25 New Restaurants Around DC

4

Campaigning for a Michelin Star: Tacky or Tactful?

5
Franks at Haute Dogs and Fries. Photograph by Scott Suchman.

Your Guide to Eating and Drinking at Nationals Park in 2022

Washingtonian Magazine

July 2022: Summer Music Guide

July 2022: Summer Music Guide

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Related

8 Talents Who Are Revving Up the DC Dining Scene This Year

Caviar Is Everywhere These Days—Even on Your Fried Chicken

10 Decadent Pie Recipes From DC Chefs for National Pie Day

8 Delicious and Labor-Intensive Recipes to Stress-Cook During the Election Wait

More from Food

This Friday: Chat With Food Critic Ann Limpert

Donald Trump and Ketchup: A History

DC Distillery Releases Dissent Gin in Support of Abortion Rights

14 Fun Food Festivals Around DC This Summer

Today at 11: Chat With Food Critic Ann Limpert

12 Great Restaurant Patios for Weekday Lunch Around DC

10 Fun Food Events Around DC This Week

Burmese Mainstay Mandalay Will Make a Comeback in Silver Spring

© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs