CAVIAR

sammy's seafood carries a variety of American farmed caviar

One of the great culinary pleasures known to mankind is cured sturgeon roe, known as caviar. Sturgeon are primitive fish that evolved some 250 million years ago. They still possess many of their prehistoric characteristics: soft cartilaginous skeletons, razor sharp bony plates on the outside skin, and toothless extended snouts. These shovel-like noses are equipped with feelers and vacuum-like mouths for rooting out food on the sea bottom.

Throughout the world, there are at least 50 different sturgeon. Three of the most traditionally coveted are Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga, which live in the Caspian and Black Seas. Sammy's Seafood carries the osetra variety of sturgeon roe. We also carry a few lines of various salmon roe.

SPOONBILL(PADDLEFISH)- Served in 1 oz Glass Jars
The spoonbill is a wild freshwater paddlefish that thrives in the waters of the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. Prized for it's elegant flavor at a manageable price, this caviar exhibits many of the characteristics of its Caspian cousins: consistent sizing of the eggs, a steely-gray sheen and a rich, creamy flavor. At first glance, it bears a striking resemblance to Sevruga for its size and color - and its nutty flavor is reminiscent of that of the Asetra.

FARMED SIBERIAN- Served in 1 oz. Glass Jars
Caviar of farm-raised Siberian sturgeon, is produced in commercial aqua farms in the United States. This fresh product comes from Siberian sturgeon that is farm raised. Characterized by medium size grains ranging in color from dark gray to light brown, this caviar is especially appreciated for its delicate, lingering flavor. Most similar in appearance and flavor to Caspian Sea Osetra. Our Siberian caviar iss creamy, smooth and delicious! Shelf Life: 4-6 weeks. Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota raises these sturgeon and farms the caviar.

bowfin caviar and sammy's seafood
BOWFIN- Served in 1 oz. Glass Jars
The bowfin, also called swampfish, mudfish, cypress trout, and by the Cajun name, “choupique,” is an ancient fish that lived over 180 million years ago. In the American South it has been generally discarded as a “trash fish,” the flesh used in fish cakes. Bowfin roe is called “Cajun Caviar” in some parts of the South. The roe is glistening black like sturgeon caviar, firm, and very flavorful.

SHOVELNOSE STURGEON - Served in 1 oz. Glass Jars
The roe of the shovelnose sturgeon is marketed as "hackleback" caviar. As old world sources of Caspian and Black Sea sturgeon caviar have become endangered, roe from shovelnose sturgeon and paddlefish have recently become commercially important. The flesh of the sturgeon is widely considered a delicacy, especially smoked sturgeon.

tobiko caviar red Tobiko- Served in 1.1 lb packs
This is te roe of flying fish, a species found in nearly all oceans. Orange is the natural color of this caviar and it is slightly sweet in flavor with a mild salty overtone. It has become popular caviar to season with a variety of different flavors, also adding different colorings to identify intensities and types of various flavors. Yellow has a ginger flavor; the black has squid ink; green has Wasabi and the red is often flavored with chili pepper. Tobiko Caviar has a texture that is semi-hard which does not soften and change when added to sauces, dressings or other liquid-based ingredients. The color and texture are quite stable and retained to add to not only an enhancing appearance to various foods but also a crunchy consistency. Since it is small and hardy, it can be frozen and refrozen to preserve it for future use.