Northern Pike Caviar

[JIvers]

Just a few days ago, I read this article on the Pioneer Press site about making home-made caviar from Northern pike roe: http://blogs.twincities.com/outdoors/2012/01/19/pike-caviar/

I've eaten beluga caviar a few times, and I did like it, although not enough to spend the high prices it commands.

As noted in another thread here, I've also always fried up perch egg sacs, as well as Northern roe.

But this article got me thinking: why not try making Northern pike caviar the next time I get a batch of roe from one?

As luck would have it, I caught two Northern in the backwaters near Winona yesterday, and one of them was a female. So last night, I followed the directions from the Pioneer Press blog, and made Northen pike caviar.

I soaked the eggs for a half hour in a brine made of two cups of water and a half cup of pickling salt, pulled them out, took the skein off the eggs, rinsed them in tap water, drained them, and put the roe back in the fridge.

I just tried some after letting it chill all night, and it is quite good. The blogger said he had trouble removing the skein from the eggs after soaking them in brine, but I did not have that problem. The membrane came right off the eggs after I pulled them out of the salt water.

I'll make home-made Northern caviar again.

[reinhard1]

that is very interesting. something i want to try. so, do you just put the eggs in the brine and then later just eat them as they are or do you add some spices? good luck.