Caviar, Big Sky Style
Say fish eggs and most people think “bait.”
But mention caviar and it’s time for an extravagant celebration.
Of course, the fish eggs known as caviar are an acquired taste. And the most famous stuff from Russia is so expensive that we may never develop a craving for it.
There is a more affordable alternative, however, to the imported beluga and serguvia caviar produced by sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.
Golden whitefish caviar comes from glacier-fed Flathead Lake in northwestern Montana. This tiny apricot-colored roe has hooked some high-profile recognition since it first came on the market in the early ‘90s.
It’s sold at the famous Balducci’s gourmet shop in New York City, and at the tony Seattle Caviar Co. (In Spokane, it’s being carried by Williams Seafood in the Valley.) It’s been featured in Sunset magazine. Seattle Times food writer Kathy Casey called it her favorite inexpensive caviar, noting its clean flavor and a texture with “good pop.”
Ron Mohn, whose Mountain Lake Fisheries processes and sells the caviar, said the clean taste can be attributed to the purity of the lake water.
“It doesn’t have that metallic aftertaste that you find in some other domestic caviar,” he said.
Mohn began his small commercial venture almost 10 years ago after finding that the whitefish population had exploded when shrimp were introduced to the native waters.
The Lake Superior whitefish - a distant cousin to salmon and trout - is originally from the Great Lakes, where it’s been fished commercially since the mid-1800s. It was introduced into Montana lakes in the early 1900s for the same purpose but didn’t thrive because of a lack of food supply. Until the mysis shrimp were introduced, it looked like an endangered species in that area. Now, however, the whitefish population in Flathead Lake has mushroomed to an estimated 5 to 15 million.
Each season, Mohn hires 60 to 80 fishermen to catch the whitefish, all on a rod and reel. “They’re mostly retired guys,” he said. “Some of them wanted to pay me for letting them fish. But once hunting season starts or the snow flies, I lose a lot of them.”
Whitefish can be “harvested” year-round, but during the annual fall spawning run up the Flathead River, more than 20,000 pounds are caught by rod and reel.
The whitefish is cleaned and filleted. The delicate roe from the female fish is then carefully packed in small glass jars before being frozen.
“By quick-freezing it, you optimize the fresh flavor and crisp texture,” Mohn said.
Frozen, it has a shelf life of a year. Once thawed, it must be consumed within 30 days. It sells for $17 for a 4-ounce jar. (As opposed to $65 an ounce for beluga.)
The fillets are sold separately, in addition to a deep-fry batter mix that Mohn developed called “Montana Fixins.”
The classic way to eat caviar is straight from the jar, with a spoon made from mother of pearl. (Using stainless utensils adds a metallic taste.) Accompanied by ice-cold vodka, of course.
If you’re short on pearl spoons, Mountain Lake Fisheries offers these serving suggestions:
Top thinly sliced bread with cream cheese, a layer of smoked salmon and caviar.
Stir caviar into softened butter and put a dollop on grilled fish.
Spoon caviar onto lightly scrambled eggs.
Stuff cooked baby potatoes with sour cream and top with a little caviar.
Top broiled oysters with caviar.
Use it as a garnish for seafood salad or potato pancakes.
Butter black bread and spread with caviar. Top with chopped hardcooked eggs.
For additional information on golden whitefish caviar, call (888) 809-0826.