Guides · Entertaining

How to serve caviar: how much per guest, keeping it cold, and 8 ways to plate it

Every seller's grams-per-guest figure we found in one table, the cold chain from fridge to table with the sellers' minutes beside the food-safety clock, the spoon question with its evidence, and the ways cooks have plated caviar since Escoffier.

The photos on this page are AI-generated illustrations.

The short answer

How do you serve caviar?

Sellers put a starter at about 15 to 30 g (½ to 1 oz) a guest, a tasting at 5 to 20 g and a main course at 20 to 100 g; every per-guest figure we found is a seller's, and sellers profit from larger orders. Keep the opened tin nested in crushed ice. Most of the sellers we read say a non-metal spoon, mother-of-pearl being the "customary" one; the one tasting test we found had stainless steel taste fine and silver bad, and Petrossian's Paris site calls stainless "an acceptable alternative" for an impromptu tasting. Serve warm blini and crème fraîche. Three sellers we read set a limit of 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature, for taste; the USDA's food-safety limit is 2 hours, 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).^{1, 3, 23, 27, 29, 34, 38, 49, 52}

An opened round tin of glossy dark grey caviar nested in crushed ice in a glass bowl on a pale marble table, a small pale mother-of-pearl spoon resting beside it, a small plate of golden blini, a little bowl of crème fraîche with chopped chives, and a coupe of champagne behind — **The classic service:** the opened tin in crushed ice, a mother-of-pearl spoon, warm blini, crème fraîche and chives, champagne. An AI render, not a photograph.

On this page: How much per person · Keeping it cold · The spoon · What to serve with it · 8 ways to plate it · Chips, nuggets, the bump · Caviar vs roe · Types of caviar · Who should be careful · FAQ

Amounts

How much caviar per person

Every grams-per-guest figure we found comes from a caviar seller: no chef, cookbook or food-safety authority we read gives one, and sellers profit from larger orders. So here is all of it, 19 rows from 17 sellers (three rows draw on two pages of the same seller), as printed (ounces with our gram conversion, 1 oz = 28.35 g). Across them a tasting runs 5 to 20 g a guest, a starter 10 to 50 g with 14 of the 17 starter rows inside ½ to 1 oz (14 to 30 g), and a main course 20 to 100 g. Four sellers disagree with themselves; both of their figures are in the table. The first 9 rows are the best-known houses and three of the four self-contradictions; Caviar Market NYC's is under "Show all".

Seller (date)	Tasting	Starter or appetizer	Main course or celebration	Also on the page
Petrossian (Paris site)^{1, 2} Undated	15 to 20 g	20 to 30 g ("seasoned caviar lovers")	60 to 70 g	Its tasting page: "around 20 to 30 g, with 2 to 3 blinis"
Prunier⁵ 13 Mar 2024	10 to 15 g ("beginners")	50 g	75 g ("dinner")	20 g at a cocktail party; a 125 to 250 g tin shared by 4 as a starter (31 to 63 g each, our arithmetic)
Caviar Star (April 2026 guide)³ 16 Apr 2026	10 to 15 g	28 to 30 g ("about 1 ounce") for a generous appetizer	50 g ("some hosts")	3 to 5 g as a garnish or at a canapé station
Caviar Star (September 2026 guide)⁴ 24 Sep 2026	Not given	½ to 1 oz (14 to 28 g, our conversion)	1 to 2 oz (28 to 57 g), caviar-focused	The same seller's April guide put the appetizer at 28 to 30 g
Petrus Caviar⁶ Undated	5 to 10 g of each variety	"at least 15-30 grams"; its own summary says ½ oz (14 g)	30 to 50 g; its summary says 2 oz (56 g)	1 oz (28 g) for "a classic caviar service"
Just Caviar⁸ Undated	15 g (first taste)	20 g with drinks; 30 g as a dinner course	45 g (main event); 60 g and up (celebration)	15 to 20 g a guest for passed appetizers at a corporate event
Browne Trading^{22, 23} Undated; recipe 28 Nov 2025	Not given	Not given	Not given	By tin only: 250 g serves "6-10 people medium hors d'oeuvres or 18-20 people light" (12.5 to 42 g a guest, our arithmetic); its classic service recipe puts 250 g to 10 servings (25 g each, our arithmetic)
Beleaev (portion guide)¹² Undated	10 g	20 g ("a short caviar course")	Not given	5 g for a garnish
Beleaev (host's guide)¹³ Undated	10 to 15 g	30 to 50 g	50 to 100 g (a caviar-focused event)	The same seller's portion guide uses 20 g for a short course

Show all 19 rows (10 more)

Seller (date)	Tasting	Starter or appetizer	Main course or celebration	Also on the page
Caviar Market NYC⁹ Undated	5 to 10 g ("A taste, canapé topper")	10 to 15 g (generous appetizer); 15 to 30 g ("caviar-forward course")	30 to 50 g ("celebratory"); the same page also says 20 to 30 g "when caviar is the main event"	"Add 10 percent" for a party
Caviar Lover¹⁰ Undated	5 to 10 g (first try); 10 to 15 g (standard tasting)	15 to 30 g	30 to 50 g, and 50 g and up	5 to 10 g for a bump or a small bite
RT Caviar¹¹ Undated	5 to 10 g	15 to 30 g (appetizer or canapés)	50 to 75 g ("Luxury Main Course")	Nothing more
Imperia Caviar^{14, 15} 17 Oct 2025	Not given	½ to 1 oz (it prints "about 15-30 grams")	1 to 2 oz (28 to 57 g, our conversion)	Its serving guide: "between ½ to 1 ounce per guest"
Caviar Foodie¹⁶ Undated	10 to 15 g	15 to 20 g (appetizers and canapés)	25 to 30 g ("generous"); 30 to 50 g (luxury tasting)	A wedding of 100 with passed canapés: "Approximately 500g to 1kg" (5 to 10 g a guest, our arithmetic)
Caviarman Gourmet¹⁷ Aug to Nov 2026	¼ oz (7 g, our conversion), tasting or garnish	½ oz (14 g) light; 1 oz (28 g) generous	1.5 to 2 oz (43 to 57 g)	Nothing more
Ikraa Caviar¹⁸ Undated	Not given	1 oz (it prints 30 g), "an elegant appetizer"	50 to 100 g (a tasting flight)	Nothing more
The Fine Source (UK)¹⁹ May to Jun 2026	10 to 15 g (tasting or canapés)	30 g, "the minimum"	50 g ("a centrepiece occasion")	Nothing more
The Caviar Farm²⁰ Undated	Not given	Not given	Not given	30 to 50 g for "1 Person (or 2 if just tasting)", "with no garnishes"; as little as 5 g a bite with several garnishes
Bester Caviar²¹ Undated	Not given	1 oz (28 g) with 3 to 4 blinis	1.5 to 2 oz (43 to 57 g, our conversion)	Nothing more

One restaurant menu, for scale: Quintonil in Mexico City prints caviar at 4 to 6 g a course on its tasting menu (a menu weight, not advice).⁷⁰ More on how much food a tasting menu serves is in our tasting menu guide. How much a diner should take from a shared tin is a different question, and nobody we read answers it: see fine dining etiquette.

How much caviar per blini, canapé or egg

Sellers print grams or teaspoons; the old books print spoonfuls. Nobody we read converts a teaspoon of caviar to grams, so neither do we.

On	Who	How much
Blini	Caviar Market NYC (seller)	0.5 g light, 1 g classic, 1.5 to 2 g "generous"⁹
Blini	Caviarman Gourmet (seller)	¼ to ½ teaspoon¹⁷
Blini	Caviar Star, September 2026 (seller)	½ to 1 teaspoon on a small appetizer blini⁴
Blini	Bester Caviar (seller)	"a teaspoon"; and 1 oz (28 g) a guest over 3 to 4 blinis, which is 7 to 9 g a blini (our arithmetic)²¹
Blini	Petrossian (seller)	20 to 30 g a guest with 2 to 3 blinis; 7 to 15 g a blini if all of it goes on them (our arithmetic)²
Canapé	Beleaev (seller)	2 or 3 g, "calculation examples, not tested yields"¹²
Prepared bite	The Caviar Farm (seller)	"as little as 5 grams" with several garnishes²⁰
Egg half	Caviar Market NYC (seller)	1 to 2 g⁹
Egg half	Soviet Book of Tasty and Healthy Food	30 g of salmon caviar for 2 stuffed eggs, 7.5 g a half (our arithmetic)⁶⁸
Tartlet with an egg	Escoffier, 1907	"a coffeespoonful"⁶⁵
Tartlet with an oyster	Escoffier, 1907	"a tablespoonful"⁶⁵
Potato chip	Caviar Market NYC (seller)	0.5 to 1 g a chip⁹
Bump	Caviar Lover (seller)	5 to 10 g¹⁰
Bump	Sudi Pigott, via The Week (Feb 2025)	a 10 g tin is "enough for a bump for four friends", 2.5 g each (our division)⁷³
A restaurant course	Quintonil, Mexico City (menu, Oct 2026)	4 to 6 g⁷⁰

Caviar tin sizes

The sizes each seller lists, read on 7 November 2026. No standard size exists in anything we read: these are shop catalogues. Caviar Star advises "multiple smaller tins rather than one large tin", so the rest stay sealed until they are needed.³

Seller	Tin sizes listed
Petrossian, Paris site	15 g ("Solo discovery"), 30 g ("Discovery for two"), 50 g ("Caviar lovers for two"), "100 g and up"¹
Petrossian, US site	30, 50, 125, 250 and 500 g, 1 kg⁹¹
Browne Trading	30, 50, 125, 250 and 500 g, 1 kg (it labels them 1 oz, 2 oz, 4.5 oz, 7 oz, 1 lb, 2.2 lb; 50 g is 1.8 oz and 250 g 8.8 oz by our conversion)²²
Beleaev (UK)	20, 30, 50, 125 and 250 g, 1 kg ("checked on 11 October 2026")¹²
Prunier	125 to 250 g to share as a starter; its Origin tins in 500 g and 1 kg⁵
Caviar Lover	10, 30 ("1 oz ≈ 28g"), 50 and 100 g, its "common sizes"¹⁰
RT Caviar	"ranging from 28g to 500g"¹¹

What a tin serves, in three sellers' own words (they disagree widely: for a 250 g tin, 4 to 8 guests, 6 to 8, or 6 to 10 and up to 18 to 20 as light bites):

Tin	Browne Trading	Just Caviar	Beleaev
30 g (1.1 oz)	1 to 2 (medium hors d'oeuvres)²²	1 to 2 people, tasting⁸	one guest¹²
50 g (1.8 oz)	2 to 3 medium, or 4 light²²	2 people, a proper course⁸	one to two guests¹²
125 g (4.4 oz)	3 to 5 medium, or 6 to 10 light²²	4 people, a full course⁸	two to four guests¹²
250 g (8.8 oz)	6 to 10 medium, or 18 to 20 light²²	6 to 8 people⁸	four to eight guests¹²
500 g (17.6 oz)	10 to 15 medium, or 35 to 45 light²²	Not listed	Not listed
1 kg (35.3 oz)	20 to 25 medium, or 80 to 90 light²²	Not listed	Not listed

How much caviar to buy for 2, 4, 8, 12 or 20 guests

Our arithmetic, not a seller's. Three amounts a guest picked from the tally (ours): a taste, or blini with drinks, 10 g (0.4 oz), inside the 5 to 20 g range of the tasting figures (Just Caviar and Prunier plan 20 g for a drinks party); a starter, 30 g (1.1 oz), the top of the 15 to 30 g band most starter figures fall in, so nobody runs short; the main event, 50 g (1.8 oz), the middle of the main-course figures, which run 20 to 100 g. The tins are our pick from the 30 g, 50 g, 125 g, 250 g sizes that Petrossian's US site, Browne, Just Caviar and Beleaev all list: the least caviar left over, counting every extra tin as 10 g more because it is one more tin to open and keep cold. Caviar Star and Browne lean the other way: several small tins, opened as needed.

Guests	A taste, or blini with drinks (10 g each)	A starter (30 g each)	The main event (50 g each)
2 guests	20 g (0.7 oz): 30 g	60 g (2.1 oz): 30 g + 30 g	100 g (3.5 oz): 50 g + 50 g
4 guests	40 g (1.4 oz): 50 g	120 g (4.2 oz): 125 g	200 g (7.1 oz): 125 g + 50 g + 30 g
8 guests	80 g (2.8 oz): 50 g + 30 g	240 g (8.5 oz): 250 g	400 g (14.1 oz): 250 g + 125 g + 30 g
12 guests	120 g (4.2 oz): 125 g	360 g (12.7 oz): 250 g + 125 g	600 g (21.2 oz): 250 g + 250 g + 50 g + 50 g
20 guests	200 g (7.1 oz): 125 g + 50 g + 30 g	600 g (21.2 oz): 250 g + 250 g + 50 g + 50 g	1000 g (35.3 oz): 250 g + 250 g + 250 g + 250 g

If caviar is one bite among many canapés, the sellers who count by the bite go lower: Caviar Foodie plans 500 g to 1 kg for passed canapés at a wedding of 100 (5 to 10 g a guest, our arithmetic), and Caviar Star 3 to 5 g a guest at a canapé station.^{3, 16} How many canapés to plan in all is in our canapés guide.

Cold

Keeping caviar cold: storage temperature, serving on ice and how long it can sit out

Two kinds of rule meet here, and they are easy to mix up. Food-safety authorities set limits for safety and do not name caviar in anything we read. Sellers set tighter times and colder temperatures for taste and texture, and cite no safety study. Both are below, each labelled.

Caviar storage temperature

Most sellers we read say 28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C), the coldest part of the fridge; the Codex standard for sturgeon caviar says +2 to +4°C (36 to 39°F) at retail. They differ, and we do not pick a house figure. Caviar Russe adds that a home fridge runs at about 37°F (3°C), and America's Test Kitchen keeps an ice pack on top of the tin.^{34, 48, 63} In a 2007 lab study, Listeria did not grow in salmon roe (ikura) at 3°C (37°F) over 30 days and grew at 7°C (45°F), and its authors call temperature control "critical".⁶¹ A 2010 study of white sturgeon caviar found no significant differences in microbial storage stability between fish at 3°C, and less Listeria growth in two samples at 7°C until day 20.⁶² Both are lab tests on roe, read as abstracts, not a rule for your fridge.

Who	Storage temperature	Kind
Caviar Russe	28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C), and "Standard refrigerators run at around 37°F (3°C)"³⁴	Seller
Kolikof	28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C)⁴¹	Seller
Sterling Caviar	28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C, our conversion)³²	Seller
California Caviar Company	28 to 34 degrees (Fahrenheit from context; -2 to 1°C, our conversion)³⁶	Seller
Social Life Magazine (Dec 2025)	28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C), "colder than most home refrigerators maintain"⁴⁶	Magazine
Thibodeaux, Garde Manger	28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C, our conversion), unopened⁶⁴	Textbook
Petrossian FAQ	0 to 4°C (32 to 39°F)²⁸	Seller
Petrossian blog	"between 4 and 8°C" (39 to 46°F, our conversion) on one line of a page that elsewhere says 0 to 4°C²⁹	Seller
Codex CXS 291-2010	+2 to +4°C (36 to 39°F) "During packaging, storage and retail"; 0 to -4°C (32 to 25°F) for wholesale storage and transport⁶³	Standard
UK Food Standards Agency	a home fridge "between 0 and 5°C" (32 to 41°F); not about caviar⁵⁶	Food-safety authority
USDA FSIS	cold food at or below 40°F (4°C); not about caviar⁵²	Food-safety authority

Serving it on ice

Escoffier, 1907: fresh caviar "in a silver timbale or in its original receptacle, surrounded with ice".⁶⁵ Browne Trading describes the traditional two-piece server, "The top holds the delicate eggs, while the bottom contains shaved ice", and its classic service sets the opened tin on crushed ice.^{22, 23} Without a server, Ikraa nests the tin "inside a shallow bowl filled with crushed ice", Social Life Magazine puts a bowl or plate between ice and tin so melt water never touches the caviar, and Imperia chills the serving dish in the fridge "for half an hour first".^{18, 38, 46} Petrossian serves it at 8 to 9°C (46 to 48°F) and Beleaev at around 6 to 8°C (43 to 46°F, our conversion), the only two serving temperatures in degrees we found.^{13, 29} The FDA asks for cold seafood on ice if it will stay out longer than 2 hours.⁵⁴

How long can caviar sit out?

The food-safety limit is the USDA's and the FDA's 2 hours out of the fridge, 1 hour above 90°F (32°C); the UK Food Standards Agency allows chilled food "a maximum of four hours" during preparation. None of them names caviar.^{52, 54, 56} The three sellers we read that give a room-temperature limit ask for 15 to 30 minutes (Caviar Russe, Imperia, Petrossian), and one Imperia page also says about 2 hours; sellers also take the tin out a few minutes before serving to take the chill off. That is advice about taste and texture, and none of them cites a study.^{29, 34, 37, 38}

Who	Most time at room temperature	Kind
USDA FSIS	"Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours"; above 90°F (32°C, our conversion), 1 hour^{52, 53}	Food-safety authority
US FDA	seafood not out "for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F"; "Serve cold seafood on ice if it is going to stay out longer than 2 hours"⁵⁴	Food-safety authority
UK Food Standards Agency	chilled food out of the fridge "for the shortest time possible during preparation (a maximum of four hours)"⁵⁶	Food-safety authority
FSANZ (Australia and New Zealand)	a rule for food businesses: under 2 hours, use it or put it back in the fridge; 2 to 4 hours, use it; over 4 hours, throw it away; the time adds up⁵⁷	Food-safety authority
Caviar Russe	"never leave at room temperature for more than 15 minutes"³⁴	Seller
Imperia Caviar (opened-caviar page)	not "over 20 to 30 minutes"³⁸	Seller
Petrossian	"Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 30 minutes"²⁹	Seller
Imperia Caviar (shelf-life page)	"can start to spoil after about two hours", one hour at 90 degrees or above: the one seller we read that matches the USDA clock, citing no authority³⁷	Seller

Who	Out of the fridge before serving (sellers and a magazine, for taste)	Kind
California Caviar Company	out of the fridge "no more than 5 minutes before serving"³⁶	Seller
Browne Trading	unopened, 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature before serving²²	Seller
Petrossian	"about ten minutes" before; on its temperature page, tins of 250 g and larger 10 minutes, smaller tins no wait^{1, 29}	Seller
Imperia Caviar	"roughly 10 to 15 minutes before serving"³⁷	Seller
Social Life Magazine	10 to 15 minutes before serving⁴⁶	Magazine

How long caviar lasts: opened and unopened

Once opened, the sources we read give anything from 24 hours to 5 days; all are sellers, magazines or a textbook, and none cites a test. Petrossian, which sells only fresh unpasteurised caviar, says 24 hours. For leftovers, Imperia presses plastic wrap (cling film) onto the surface and Kolikof moves them into an airtight glass container.^{15, 28, 30, 42} Unopened, the tin's own date comes first.

Who	Opened, eat within	Kind
Petrossian	24 hours (FAQ and tasting page)^{2, 28}	Seller
America's Test Kitchen	"within 24 hours"⁴⁸	Magazine
Caviar Russe	24 to 48 hours³⁴	Seller
Prunier	"within 48 hours of opening"⁵	Seller
Lemberg	24 to 48 hours⁴⁵	Seller
Imperia Caviar	48 hours on one page, 24 to 48 hours on another, up to 2 to 3 days on a third; "a few days" on its serving guide^{15, 37, 38, 39}	Seller
Kolikof	1 to 2 days on one page, "a few days" on another^{41, 42}	Seller
Sterling Caviar	beluga 1 to 2 days; ossetra up to 3 days³²	Seller
Browne Trading	3 days on its care guide, 1 to 3 days on its storage post^{22, 24}	Seller
Thibodeaux, Garde Manger	2 to 3 days⁶⁴	Textbook
Social Life Magazine	"2-3 days maximum, ideally within 24-48 hours"⁴⁶	Magazine
The Caviar Co.	4 days⁴⁴	Seller
The Takeout	"as little as one day or anywhere up to five days"⁴⁷	Magazine
California Caviar Company	5 days³⁶	Seller

Who	Unopened (sellers' storage as printed)
Imperia Caviar	its own fresh unpasteurised caviar "up to three weeks"; on the same page "most caviars last four to six weeks" and "up to 15 months in some cases"³⁷
America's Test Kitchen	3 to 5 weeks, an ice pack on top of the tin⁴⁸
Caviar Russe	4 weeks "from the date of processing"³⁴
The Caviar Co.	up to 4 weeks⁴⁴
Thibodeaux, Garde Manger	up to 4 weeks at 28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C)⁶⁴
Petrossian FAQ	"about one month" at 0 to 4°C (32 to 39°F)²⁸
California Caviar Company	5 weeks³⁶
Browne Trading	4 to 6 weeks²²
Social Life Magazine	4 to 6 weeks⁴⁶
Petrossian blog	8 weeks at 4 to 8°C (39 to 46°F), and "Always follow the expiration date indicated on the tin"²⁹
Prunier	unopened, kept "in a cool place until the expiry date shown on the label"⁵

Malossol and pasteurised: what the labels mean

Malossol is a salting word, from the Russian for "little salt"; pasteurised means heat-treated, and "A pasteurised caviar can also be malossol", as Petrossian puts it.³⁰ Caviar Russe gives pasteurised caviar up to a year of shelf life at the cost of "a slightly firmer texture".³⁵ How much salt makes malossol is not agreed: a University of Florida fact sheet says 3 to 4%, a garde manger textbook "only 2-3%", and the Codex standard, which never uses the word, allows 3 to 5 g per 100 g for any sturgeon caviar.^{63, 64, 84}

Can you freeze caviar?

Most say no for sturgeon caviar, and the Codex standard does not permit frozen storage "unless the deterioration of quality is avoided". One seller says salmon, trout and whitefish roe "freeze nicely".

Who	On freezing
Codex CXS 291-2010	"Freezing as well as frozen storage of caviar is not permitted unless the deterioration of quality is avoided"⁶³
Petrossian, Browne Trading	never^{22, 28}
Caviar Russe	freezing "ruptures the delicate roe membranes"³⁴
Sterling Caviar, America's Test Kitchen	it alters the texture; don't^{32, 48}
California Caviar Company	sturgeon caviar best not frozen; "whitefish, salmon and trout caviars freeze nicely"³⁶
Imperia Caviar	on one page "If you do freeze caviar, an unopened container can last up to a year"; on others "Freezing damages caviar texture irreversibly" and, for fresh malossol to be served on a spoon or blini, "do not freeze it"^{37, 40}
Lemberg	6 months at -18°C (0°F)⁴⁵

How to tell caviar has gone off

Only sellers give a test: Petrossian says not to eat it if the smell turns "very strong, acidic or ammonia-like", and Lemberg names a smell "of herring".^{29, 45} The Codex standard lists, among the defects it counts when a lot is accepted, an odour "indicative of decomposition" and "broken eggs or fluid"; it is a trade test, not a consumer rule.⁶³ A sniff cannot show caviar is safe, though: the USDA notes that the bacteria that make people ill "cannot be smelled or tasted".⁵³ Keep to the dates and the clock.

Opening the tin

A caviar key, a butter knife or another flat tool between the lid and the base, then a slow twist until the seal gives with a soft pop; not a sharp knife or scissors.^{39, 44} These are sellers' instructions; we found no authority's.

The spoon

The caviar spoon: mother-of-pearl, or is metal fine?

Our reading: mother-of-pearl, horn, bone, glass, wood or plastic if you have one; by the only tasting we found, stainless steel is fine and silver is the metal to avoid. Most of the sellers we read give the "no metal" rule, and none of them cites a test. America's Test Kitchen first took it for "a gimmicky way for retailers" to sell spoons, then tasted white sturgeon caviar off four: plastic, mother-of-pearl and stainless steel "tasted perfectly good", silver "tasted terrible". That was an informal tasting with no stated number of tasters, not a study.⁴⁹ Blind tastings of bare spoons by University College London's Institute of Making, reported by The Naked Scientists in 2012 and by Vice in 2015 (we cannot tell whether they are one study or two), had no caviar and found stainless steel among the mildest-tasting metals and silver among the poorest.^{50, 51} We found no peer-reviewed study of caviar and spoon metal.

Petrossian, which sells the spoons, prints both answers. Its Paris site calls mother-of-pearl "customary" and stainless steel "an acceptable alternative" for an impromptu tasting or a modern table setting (and on whether to serve caviar plain or on toast says "At Petrossian, there are no rules"); its FAQ allows stainless and rules out silver. Its US pages say "never use metal spoons", and another Paris page says to use a non-metallic spoon.^{26, 27, 28, 29} How a diner uses the spoon at a restaurant is in our fine dining etiquette guide.

Who	What they say	What it rests on
Petrossian, Paris spoon page	mother-of-pearl "customary", it "prevents oxidation of the grains"; stainless steel "an acceptable alternative" for an impromptu tasting or a modern table setting²⁷	No test cited
Petrossian, Paris FAQ	a spoon of "mother-of-pearl, stainless steel, or hardwood. Silver is to be avoided"²⁸	No test cited
Petrossian, Paris temperature page	"Use a non-metallic spoon (mother-of-pearl, wood, plastic)"²⁹	No test cited
Petrossian, US pages	"never use metal spoons"; "Metal utensils oxidize upon contact with caviar"^{25, 26}	No test cited
Beleaev	"metal causes a sulphur reaction that ruins flavour"¹³	No test cited
Petrus Caviar	"Standard silver or stainless steel can react subtly with the salt and natural oils"⁷	No test cited
Kolikof	metal spoons "can interact chemically with the caviar"⁴³	No test cited
Browne Trading	"metal utensils detract"²²	No test cited; it sells the spoons
Sur La Table	avoid metal; "mother of pearl, bone, glass, or high quality plastic"³³	No test cited; it sells the spoons
Prunier	"natural materials or plastic"⁵	No test cited
Sterling Caviar	"(reusable) plastic spoons" at home³¹	No test cited
Thibodeaux, Garde Manger (textbook)	"Metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste"⁶⁴	No test cited
America's Test Kitchen, 2021	plastic, mother-of-pearl and stainless steel "tasted perfectly good"; silver "tasted terrible"⁴⁹	An informal tasting of white sturgeon caviar; number of tasters not given; not peer-reviewed
UCL, via The Naked Scientists (2012)	"stainless steel actually produces the mildest taste"⁵⁰	Blind tests of bare spoons, no caviar
UCL Institute of Making, via Vice (2015)	stainless steel came "second, just after gold"; silver poorly⁵¹	50 volunteers, seven metals, no caviar; we did not find the study itself

On the side

What to serve with caviar, and what to drink

Who serves caviar with what, from Escoffier's 1907 guide and Larousse gastronomique to today's caviar houses (sellers, labelled in the sources). Blini and crème fraîche are the most named in what we read; a few sources say nothing more is needed.

With	Who serves it that way
Blini, with crème fraîche or sour cream	Escoffier 1907 (blinis, no cream named), Larousse gastronomique 1997 (blinis and sour cream), Thibodeaux's textbook, Browne, Petrossian, Ikraa, Petrus, Caviar Star, Caviarman, Bester, Sur La Table, Imperia ("a Russian pancake")^{2, 4, 7, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 33, 64, 65, 67}
Toast, toast points or buttered bread	Escoffier 1907 (round toast), Larousse 1997 (lightly buttered grilled toasts), the Soviet Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, Browne (toast points with sweet butter), Prunier (bread topped with butter), Petrus, Sur La Table^{5, 7, 22, 33, 65, 67, 68}
Egg: chopped whites and yolks apart, or halves	Escoffier 1907 (lapwings' eggs), the Soviet book (egg canapés, stuffed eggs), Prunier, Browne, Ikraa, Sur La Table, Petrossian (deviled eggs)^{5, 18, 23, 25, 33, 65, 68}
Potatoes: new, boiled, baked or latkes	Prunier (new potatoes), Browne (boiled petit potatoes), Petrus (boiled), Sur La Table (a baked potato), Petrossian (latkes or Hasselback bites), The Caviar Farm (latkes)^{5, 7, 20, 22, 25, 33}
Potato chips	Sur La Table, The Caviar Farm; a TikTok trend by January 2023^{20, 33, 71} (the trend, dated)
Butter	the Soviet book (unsalted butter on the side), Sur La Table (unsalted), Browne (sweet butter on toast), Petrossian (a warm buttered blini)^{2, 22, 33, 68}
Chives, onion, shallots, capers, lemon	Browne (capers, red onion, chives), Ikraa (chives or shallots), Sur La Table (chives or shallots, lemon wedges), the Soviet book (lemon slices and parsley on sturgeon caviar; scallions beside salmon caviar)^{18, 23, 33, 68} (Escoffier objects to onion: below)
Nothing at all	Escoffier 1907 (fresh caviar "does not need any supplementary condiment"), Sterling (white sturgeon "best without any distraction"), Petrossian ("plain on the back of the hand"), Food Republic ("straight from the spoon")^{2, 31, 65, 72}
Chicken nuggets	a restaurant in April 2025 and McDonald's in February 2026, as the trade press reported^{76, 77} (the trend, dated)

Onion with caviar: Escoffier said no

"Some cooks serve finely-chopped onions with fresh caviare, but a worse practice could not be imagined. Fresh caviare, the flavour of which is perfect, does not need any supplementary condiment." That is Escoffier in 1907.⁶⁵ Today's sellers put red onion, shallots and capers in the little bowls anyway (Browne, Ikraa, Sur La Table), and Escoffier's 1903 French caviar canapé, in our canapés guide, has chopped onion served apart (his 1907 English caviar toast does not mention onion).^{18, 23, 33, 66} Our reading: serve the garnishes on the side, as the sellers do, so each guest decides.

What to drink with caviar

Dry champagne or ice-cold vodka, in the seller pages that name a drink (about half of the 17 we tallied; the table says who); a dry white wine in two. Escoffier's and Larousse's caviar entries name no drink. The glass for the champagne (flute, coupe or a white wine glass) is in our guide to glasses, and the vodka goes in a shot glass.

Drink	Who pours it
Champagne (Ikraa and Petrossian say brut; Sterling "a dry")	Sur La Table ("the most traditional pairing"), Prunier, Petrossian (Brut Champagne), Ikraa, Petrus, Sterling, Browne's classic service; National Geographic lists "champagne pairings" among the old European rituals^{2, 5, 7, 18, 23, 31, 33, 74}
Vodka, ice-cold	Petrossian ("a sip of vodka", ice-cold white vodka), Ikraa, Petrus, Sterling ("well chilled overnight"), Imperia ("Russian-style"), Prunier ("some people prefer"); the bump's champagne or ice-cold vodka chaser (Pigott, via The Week)^{2, 5, 7, 15, 18, 31, 73}
Dry white wine	Prunier ("a dry white wine or champagne"), Ikraa (Chablis, Sancerre; no sweet or heavily oaked wines)^{5, 18}

Plating

Eight ways to plate caviar

Every way here is one a cookbook, a chef or a caviar house prints; potatoes and chips are in the who serves what table and the trends. Each card says who does it, how much goes on a piece where a source says, and the job it does (ours). Photos are AI renders; two come from our sibling guides and say so.

A small mound of glossy dark caviar in a small glass dish set in crushed ice, a pale iridescent mother-of-pearl spoon beside it and a few small round toasts on a little plate

The tin, or a bowl, on crushed ice

Escoffier served fresh caviar "very simply, either in a silver timbale or in its original receptacle, surrounded with ice". Browne's classic service puts the opened tin on crushed ice with mother-of-pearl spoons and each garnish in its own bowl; Imperia calls a crystal bowl over ice the traditional way; Petrossian's server holds the tin "suspended above a bed of crushed ice" so guests help themselves.^{15, 23, 26, 65}

Ours: it keeps the caviar cold for the whole service and lets guests take as much as they want; everything else on this list starts here.

The photo is from our fine dining etiquette guide: a glass dish on ice.

Two coin-sized golden blini on a small white plate, each topped with crème fraîche, glossy orange trout roe and a short chive tip

On blini with crème fraîche

Escoffier's caviar comes with "a dish of Blinis", Larousse gastronomique pairs blinis with sour cream, and an open garde manger textbook says osetra "is traditionally served on blinis with crème fraiche". Petrossian spreads a thin layer of crème fraîche on a warm blini and adds the caviar "using the tip of a knife".^{2, 64, 65, 67}

How much: From 0.5 to 2 g a blini (Caviar Market NYC) to ¼, ½ or a whole teaspoon (Caviarman, Caviar Star, Bester): the per-piece table has every figure.^{4, 9, 17, 21}

Ours: a warm, soft base and a cool, sour cream under the salt; the classic first bite.

The photo is from our amuse-bouche guide and shows trout roe, not caviar. More blini in our canapés guide.

Three small rounds of golden toast on a white plate, each with a piped border of pale butter around the edge and a neat mound of glossy black caviar in the centre

On toast: Escoffier's caviar toast

Escoffier's Caviare Toast: round toast spread with caviar butter, the edge piped with softened butter, "Put fresh caviare in the centre". Browne serves thin toast points "lightly coated with sweet butter"; Larousse, lightly buttered grilled toast.^{22, 65, 67}

Ours: the crunch the caviar lacks, and the butter border keeps the eggs on the toast.

Escoffier's canapé version is in our canapés guide.

Four hard-boiled egg halves on a white plate, the yolks replaced with a smooth pale yellow filling, each crowned with a small spoonful of glossy black caviar and a short chive tip

On egg

The Soviet Book of Tasty and Healthy Food lays a round of hard-boiled egg on toast, mounds "a little bit of sturgeon or salmon caviar" on it and pipes a butter border, and fills egg-white halves with salmon caviar. Escoffier nests a lapwing's egg in a tartlet of caviar; Petrossian tops deviled eggs "with a generous spoon" of caviar.^{25, 65, 68}

How much: 1 to 2 g an egg half (Caviar Market NYC) against 7.5 g a half in the Soviet stuffed eggs (our arithmetic); Escoffier, "a coffeespoonful" a tartlet.^{9, 65, 68}

Ours: the egg's yolk and white soften the salt, and the half is a ready-made cup.

Two small round golden pastry tartlets on a white plate, each filled with glossy black caviar with a plump raw shelled oyster resting in a hollow in the centre, a small lemon wedge beside them

With an oyster

Escoffier's "Natives with Caviare": a tartlet garnished with "a tablespoonful of fine, fresh caviare", a hollow made in it and a Whitstable oyster set in the hollow, with pepper and a drop of lemon. Thomas Keller's Oysters and Pearls at The French Laundry puts oysters and caviar on one dish.^{65, 69}

How much: "a tablespoonful" a tartlet (Escoffier).⁶⁵

Ours: two cold, briny things that match; the pastry holds them in one bite.

A shallow white bowl of pale, smooth cream sauce with a neat small oval quenelle of glossy black caviar sitting on top in the centre

As a quenelle on a dish

Keller finishes Oysters and Pearls with "a quenelle, or small oval scoop, of caviar". The chefs our quenelle guide quotes press caviar between two spoons to shape it.⁶⁹

Ours: a garnish that sits up neatly on a sauce, so a little caviar reads as a lot.

How to shape one: the two-spoon quenelle.

Formed into a log on a plate

The Soviet Book of Tasty and Healthy Food: "Sturgeon caviar should be formed into a log on a plate, and decorated with sprigs of parsley, garnished with slices of lemon. Serve unsalted butter on the side." Salmon caviar goes in "small crystal salad bowls" with scallions beside it.⁶⁸

Ours: a plain plate for the table with bread, and the butter on the side is for the bread.

The bump, on the back of the hand

A spoonful on the back of the hand, a few seconds to warm, then eaten in one go: Petrossian ("plain on the back of the hand"), Sterling, Sur La Table and, from February 2025, the press (The Week, National Geographic, The Irish Times; the trend section has the dates).^{2, 31, 33, 73, 74, 75}

How much: 5 to 10 g (Caviar Lover); a 10 g tin for four bumps, 2.5 g each (Pigott via The Week, our division).^{10, 73}

Ours: no base and no spoon in the mouth, so nothing but the caviar; a tasting, not a course.

Lately

Chips, chicken nuggets and the caviar bump, dated

Three new ways to eat caviar, each with the earliest dated report we read. They spread through social media, so the dates are when the press noticed, not when anyone started.

When	What was reported
Jan 2023	Chips: TikTok users had been posting potato chips topped with caviar "For the past few months"; Eater, as Katie Couric's site cites it, says chefs had done it for years.⁷¹
Feb 2024	Chips: Food Republic calls them "An Unrivaled Pairing"; Paramount Caviar serves baked chips at its New York tastings.⁷²
2024	Nuggets: Rihanna "downed caviar and chicken nuggets in a TikTok video", per Fortune.⁷⁷
Feb to Mar 2025	The bump: The Week (10 Feb), National Geographic (27 Feb) and The Irish Times (20 Mar), which counted "more than 1.7 billion views" of #caviarbump videos. Its line that Caspian communities tested caviar on the hand before buying names no source.^{73, 74, 75}
Apr 2025	Nuggets: Nation's Restaurant News (Feb 2026) writes that Coqodaq "sold six nuggets topped with Petrossian caviar for $100" at "the U.S. Open tennis tournament in April 2025"; we could not confirm that date.⁷⁶
Dec 2025	Nuggets: "caviar chicken nuggets" among 2025's fastest-rising recipe searches, per The Drinks Business.⁷⁸
Feb 2026	Nuggets: McDonald's sells a McNugget Caviar kit, a one-ounce (28 g) tin of Paramount's Siberian sturgeon caviar with crème fraîche and a mother-of-pearl spoon; the tin alone costs $85 on Paramount's site, per Fortune.^{76, 77}

How to do the bump is in its plating card; for chips, Caviar Market NYC plans 0.5 to 1 g a chip.⁹

Names

Caviar vs roe: what may be called caviar

All caviar is roe, but not all roe is caviar. Under the international Codex standard, caviar is the salted eggs of the sturgeon family only; salmon, trout, lumpfish and flying fish eggs are roe. The Codex text: "Caviar: the product made from fish eggs of the Acipenseridae family by treating with food grade salt", 3 to 5 g of salt per 100 g, no colours or texturising agents, and on the label "caviar" alone or with Beluga, Ossetra or Sevruga; a hybrid says so.⁶³ It is a voluntary international standard; each country's law applies on top.

In the US, a University of Florida extension fact sheet says food rules let "only the eggs from sturgeon and paddlefish" be sold as plain caviar; any other roe must name its fish, "like lumpfish caviar ... or salmon caviar".⁸⁴ (We could not read the FDA's own policy, so that is the fact sheet's account.) A separate US rule for the wildlife trade, 50 CFR 23.71, also counts "sturgeon or paddlefish" roe as caviar; it governs import and export under CITES, not what a grocery label may say.⁷⁹ In the EU there is no common marketing standard for caviar, and its seafood labelling rules do not cover caviar or caviar substitutes, according to the EU's Market Advisory Council in 2021; customs call the non-sturgeon roes "caviar substitutes".⁸⁵

Every sturgeon and paddlefish is on the CITES lists, so caviar crosses borders under CITES permits (the 2005 US notice we read also allows up to 250 g of Appendix-II caviar as personal effects without one), and caviar in international trade carries a code for the species, the source, the country and the year of harvest.^{79, 80, 85} The US suspended imports of beluga caviar from the Caspian Sea on 30 September 2005 and from the Black Sea on 28 October 2005; the beluga rule, 50 CFR 17.44(y), is still in the current federal code, and we found no notice lifting the suspensions. That rule also sets out routes for importing beluga caviar without a threatened-species permit (from the Caspian and Black Sea states that meet its conditions, or from qualifying aquaculture facilities outside them) and exempts personal or household effects from that permit, though it says the suspensions may apply to them too; we did not read which facilities qualify.^{81, 82, 83} The US sellers we read offer beluga hybrids and say pure beluga cannot be imported.^{89, 91}

Types of caviar and the other roes

The colour, egg size and price are what each seller printed, read on 7 November 2026; prices are one day's list prices in US dollars. A species does not fix the egg: Browne's three Siberian lots run 1.6 to 2.7 mm and its seven osetra lots 2.1 to 3.2 mm, and a WWF trade brochure says "It is hardly possible to determine the species of origin by simply looking at the caviar, as grain sizes and colours vary with age and within species".^{86, 89} Names such as Royal, Imperial or Special Reserve are the houses' own; the Codex standard we read names no grades.^{63, 89, 91} The first 9 rows are the ones we picked as best known; 6 more open under "Show all".

Name and fish	Is it caviar?	Colour, as printed	Egg size, as printed	Price, 7 Nov 2026
Beluga^{81, 82, 83, 89, 91, 92} Huso huso (beluga sturgeon)	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"pearl grey to anthracite" (Petrossian)	"the largest grains" (Petrossian; no mm given)	Sellers say pure beluga cannot be imported into the US; the US suspended Caspian and Black Sea beluga imports in 2005 and we found no notice lifting that. Sellers offer hybrids: Petrossian's Royal Beluga Hybrid from $249, Browne's beluga x Siberian hybrid $285 for 30 g
Osetra (ossetra, oscietra)^{63, 89, 91, 92} Acipenser gueldenstaedtii and A. persicus	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	From "grey-brown to golden brown" (Petrossian); seven Browne lots from "silver to dark steel" to "gold"	2.1 to 3.2 mm across seven Browne lots	Browne $150 to $256 for 30 g; Petrossian Royal Ossetra from $138, Royal Persicus from $79
Sevruga^{63, 93} Acipenser stellatus (starry sturgeon)	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"anthracite grey and jet black to pearl grey and light grey" (Petrossian)	"between 2.3 and 2.5 mm" (Petrossian)	No price in what we read; Petrossian calls the fish "critically endangered" and has sold farmed sevruga as Steluga since 2019
Siberian sturgeon (baerii)^{77, 89} Acipenser baerii	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"dark brown to black", "dark charcoal to black" (Browne)	1.6 to 2.7 mm across three Browne lots	Browne $110 to $183 for 30 g; Paramount $85 for 1 oz (28 g), per Fortune (Feb 2026)
White sturgeon⁸⁹ Acipenser transmontanus (American white sturgeon)	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"black", "slate gray and olive to black" (Browne)	1.8 to 2.5 mm (Browne)	Browne $100 to $128 for 1 oz (28 g)
Paddlefish (spoonbill)^{79, 84, 90} Polyodon spathula	Plain "caviar" in the US (UF/IFAS); outside the Codex standard	"steel to charcoal" (Browne)	1.6 to 2 mm (Browne)	Browne $62 for 1 oz (28 g)
Salmon roe (ikura)^{87, 88, 89} Salmon: Browne's is keta (Oncorhynchus keta)	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	"translucent red/orange" (Browne); keta "pale red with strong orange overtones" (ASMI)	5 to 7 mm (Browne); top-grade keta "5 mm or larger" (ASMI)	Browne $40 for 2 oz (57 g)
Trout roe⁸⁹ Oncorhynchus mykiss (steelhead)	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	"translucent orange" (Browne)	4 to 5 mm (Browne)	Browne $30 for 2 oz (57 g)
Tobiko^{84, 89, 94} Flying fish (Exocoetidae)	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	red, black, green (wasabi) or yellow (yuzu) as sold (Browne)	"mini" (Browne); 0.5 to 0.8 mm (Imperia, one seller's figure)	Browne $35 for 100 g

Show all 15 roes (6 more)

Name and fish	Is it caviar?	Colour, as printed	Egg size, as printed	Price, 7 Nov 2026
Kaluga hybrid^{89, 91} Huso dauricus x Acipenser schrenkii (Browne: Acipenser schrenkii & Huso dauricus)	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"dark amber to black", "amber to olive" (Browne)	2.3 to 3.5 mm (Browne)	Browne $135 to $165 for 30 g; Petrossian Royal Kaluga Huso Hybrid from $219
Hackleback^{63, 89} Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (shovelnose sturgeon)	Caviar (Codex: sturgeon family)	"black", "petite jet-black" (Browne)	1.4 to 1.8 mm (Browne)	Browne $78 for 1 oz (28 g)
Whitefish roe⁸⁹ Coregonus clupeaformis	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	"yellow-gold" (Browne)	"petite" (Browne; no mm)	Browne $27 for 2 oz (57 g)
Masago⁹⁴ Capelin	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	Not given in what we quote	0.3 to 0.5 mm (Imperia, one seller's figure)	"usually cheaper" than tobiko and "sometimes falsely sold as tobiko" (Imperia)
Lumpfish roe^{84, 85, 86, 94} Lumpfish	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	Not given in what we read	"Small, firm" (Imperia); no mm figure in anything we read	"a budget caviar alternative" (Imperia); no price read
Bowfin roe⁸⁹ Amia calva	Roe: "[fish] caviar" on a US label (UF/IFAS); a caviar substitute in customs terms	"jet black to brown" (Browne)	"small" (Browne; no mm)	Browne $26 for 1 oz (28 g)

Four small glass dishes of fish eggs in a row on a pale stone surface, left to right: small dark grey sturgeon caviar, large translucent orange salmon roe, smaller orange trout roe, and very small black lumpfish roe — **Four roes,** left to right: sturgeon caviar, salmon roe, trout roe, lumpfish roe. An AI render; the egg sizes follow the table, except lumpfish, for which we read no size.

Cheaper roes to serve instead (our framing)

The cheapest way to serve "caviar" is often another roe, and the honest swap says what changes. Our reading of the table: hackleback ($78 an ounce, 28 g) and paddlefish ($62) are the closest in look, small dark eggs, and paddlefish may carry plain "caviar" on a US label, per the UF/IFAS fact sheet; trout and salmon roe are much larger, orange and translucent (the EU market observatory: "deep red to light orange", grains "larger" than sturgeon roe); bowfin, tobiko and masago are smaller and cheaper still, and the WWF warns that counterfeit caviar "is usually dyed".^{84, 86, 87, 89, 90} Serve a swap the same way: on ice, on blini, by its own name.

Where the word caviar comes from

The dictionaries trace it through Venetian and Italian to the Turkish havyar, from Persian. The earliest French use we found is "cavyaire" in 1432, and Dictionary.com dates the English word to 1585 to 1595; Hamlet says a play that "pleased not the million" was "caviare to the general" (a delicacy lost on the crowd, our gloss).^{84, 95, 96, 97, 98} The Japanese ikura, for salmon roe, comes from the Russian word for fish roe, ikra.⁸⁷ The Académie française also allows the word for other fish: "Caviar rouge, fait avec des œufs de saumon" (red caviar, made with salmon eggs).⁹⁶

Safety

Who should be careful with caviar

No food-safety authority page we read names caviar or fish roe: not the NHS, the FDA, Food Standards Scotland and the FSA, or, through a machine-made extract of its page only, Food Standards Australia New Zealand.^{54, 55, 58, 59, 60} The nearest lines are about raw fish and about refrigerated, cold-smoked or cured fish, for those at higher risk as each authority defines them, and the risk they name is listeria. They are below, in each authority's words. Whether caviar or other fish roe falls under any of those lines is not stated in anything we read, and no authority we read says whether pasteurised caviar is different.

Authority	What it says (none names caviar)
US FDA, people at risk	avoid "Raw fish, partially cooked seafood (such as shrimp and crab), and refrigerated smoked seafood"⁵⁵
US FDA, seafood page	for pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems: avoid "Raw or undercooked fish or shellfish" and "Refrigerated types of smoked seafood except in a cooked recipe"⁵⁴
NHS (England), pregnancy	"Foods to avoid" include "raw fish and raw shellfish"; "cold-smoked and cured fish, like smoked salmon" must be "cooked until steaming hot"; "You should avoid raw, cold-smoked and cured fish because it could contain listeria bacteria"; "Listeriosis can cause miscarriage or stillbirth"⁶⁰
Food Standards Scotland and the FSA (UK)	higher-risk consumers should "avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked and cured fish products"⁵⁹

Salt did not stop it at 7°C (45°F): in the salmon-roe study salt "did little to inhibit Listeria growth at 7 degrees C", and the authors write that "temperature control is critical".⁶¹ The Codex standard requires caviar to be made under conditions "sufficient to prevent the growth" of pathogens and labelled with storage instructions.⁶³ Our advice, not an authority's: if you are pregnant or serving someone at higher risk, ask a doctor or midwife before the caviar.

FAQ

How to serve caviar, answered

How much caviar per person?

Sellers put a starter at about 15 to 30 g (1/2 to 1 oz) a guest: 14 of the 17 starter rows in our tally sit there. A tasting runs 5 to 20 g and a main course 20 to 100 g. Every per-guest figure we found is a seller's; no chef, cookbook or authority we read gives one. When caviar is one canapé among many, sellers go down to 3 to 10 g a guest.

How much caviar should I buy for a party?

Our picks and our arithmetic from the sellers' figures: at 30 g a guest as a starter, 8 guests need 240 g (250 g), 12 need 360 g (250 g + 125 g) and 20 need 600 g; at 10 g a guest for a taste or blini with drinks, 20 guests need 200 g. Browne Trading says a 250 g tin serves 6 to 10 people as medium hors d'oeuvres or 18 to 20 as light ones.

How much caviar per blini?

Caviar Market NYC plans 0.5 g a blini for a light topping, 1 g classic and 1.5 to 2 g generous; Caviarman 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, Caviar Star 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, Bester a teaspoon. Petrossian's 20 to 30 g a guest with 2 to 3 blinis works out at 7 to 15 g a blini (our arithmetic) if all of it goes on them. All are sellers.

What do you serve with caviar?

Warm blini and crème fraîche, the pairing most named in what we read, from Escoffier's 1907 blinis on. Then buttered toast or toast points, chopped hard-boiled egg whites and yolks in separate bowls, boiled new potatoes, chives, shallots and capers, and lately potato chips. Escoffier called onion with fresh caviar the worst practice imaginable, and a few sources (Escoffier, Sterling, Petrossian) say fresh caviar needs nothing else. To drink: dry champagne or ice-cold vodka.

How long can caviar sit out?

The USDA and the FDA say perishable food should not be out of the fridge more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), and the FDA wants cold seafood on ice if it stays out longer; the UK Food Standards Agency allows chilled food a maximum of four hours during preparation. None of them names caviar. Three sellers we read set a room-temperature limit of 15 to 30 minutes, for taste and texture rather than safety.

What temperature should caviar be stored at?

Most sellers we read say 28 to 32°F (-2 to 0°C), the coldest part of the fridge, colder than most home fridges run. The Codex standard for sturgeon caviar says +2 to +4°C (36 to 39°F) during storage and retail, and Petrossian's FAQ 0 to 4°C (32 to 39°F). They differ; we do not pick one. America's Test Kitchen keeps an ice pack on the tin.

How long does caviar last after opening?

From 24 hours to 5 days across the 14 sources we read, none of them an authority: Petrossian and America's Test Kitchen say 24 hours, most sellers 24 to 48 hours or up to 3 days. Unopened, sellers give 3 to 8 weeks in the fridge for fresh caviar; pasteurised caviar is given up to a year (Caviar Russe) and one Imperia line says up to 15 months in some cases. The date on the tin comes first.

Why can't you use a metal spoon with caviar?

Sellers say metal gives caviar a metallic taste, and none of them cites a test. The one tasting we found, by America's Test Kitchen in 2021, had caviar taste fine off plastic, mother-of-pearl and stainless steel and terrible off silver; it was informal. Petrossian's Paris site calls stainless steel an acceptable alternative to mother-of-pearl, while its US pages say never use metal.

What is a caviar bump?

A small spoonful of caviar put on the back of the hand, left a few seconds to warm and eaten in one go, "preferably followed by" champagne or ice-cold vodka, one writer says. Petrossian, Sterling and Sur La Table describe it; the press reported it as a trend in February and March 2025. Caviar Lover plans 5 to 10 g a bump; a Telegraph writer quoted by The Week counts a 10 g tin as four bumps.

What is the difference between caviar and roe?

Roe is any fish's eggs; caviar, under the international Codex standard, is the salted eggs of the sturgeon family only. In the US, a University of Florida fact sheet says sturgeon and paddlefish roe may be sold as plain caviar and other roe must name its fish, such as salmon caviar. Tobiko is flying fish roe and masago capelin roe; one seller gives tobiko 0.5 to 0.8 mm and masago 0.3 to 0.5 mm.

What are the types of caviar?

The Codex standard names beluga, ossetra and sevruga. Sellers today also list Siberian sturgeon, white sturgeon, kaluga hybrid and hackleback (7 sturgeon caviars in our table), and paddlefish, which a University of Florida fact sheet says may carry plain "caviar" on a US label. The US suspended imports of beluga caviar from the Caspian and Black Sea in 2005 and we found no notice lifting that; the US sellers we read say pure beluga cannot be imported and sell beluga hybrids. Egg size and colour vary within a species, so the name does not fix the look.

What size tins does caviar come in?

No standard size exists. Sellers list tins from 10 g to 1 kg; four of the sellers we read (Petrossian's US site, Browne, Just Caviar, Beleaev) list 30, 50, 125 and 250 g. Browne Trading says a 30 g (1 oz) tin serves 1 to 2 people as medium hors d'oeuvres and a 125 g tin 3 to 5.

Can you eat caviar when pregnant?

No food-safety authority page we read names caviar or roe. The nearest lines: the NHS lists raw fish and raw shellfish among the foods to avoid in pregnancy and says cold-smoked and cured fish must be cooked until steaming hot, because of listeria; the FDA tells people at higher risk to avoid raw fish and refrigerated smoked seafood. Whether caviar or roe falls under any of those lines is not stated. Our advice, not an authority's: ask your doctor or midwife.

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Method

How this page was made

We tasted, served, measured and bought nothing for this page. Every amount, temperature, time, egg size and price is what its source printed, read on 7 November 2026 unless its entry says otherwise; caviar houses and shops are sellers and are labelled so wherever they make a claim that sells product. The ounce conversions (1 oz = 28.35 g), the degree conversions, the per-guest and per-blini divisions, the "how much to buy" table, its tin rule, the grouping of the tables, each plating way's job and anything marked ours are ours. The figures are AI renders, not photographs.

Sources

The sellers, books, authorities and studies behind this page

How each source was read (in full, as an abstract, as an archived copy or as a prior reading for another of our guides) is in its entry. Caviar houses and shops are sellers and are labelled so.

Petrossian (2026). How much caviar should you plan per person? petrossian.fr, English pages (a caviar seller's own page, Paris house), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "For an introduction or a simple tasting: allow 15 to 20 grams", a starter "20 to 30 grams", a main course "60 to 70 grams"; serve at "8 to 9°C (46 to 48°F)", out of the fridge "about ten minutes before eating"; tins "Solo discovery: 15 g ... Special occasion or connoisseurs: 100 g and up". petrossian.fr
Petrossian (2026). Caviar tasting. petrossian.fr, English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "The recommended caviar quantity per person is around 20 to 30 g, with 2 to 3 blinis and a sip of vodka"; "Enjoy it plain on the back of the hand or on a warm buttered blini"; "Consume the tin within 24 hours after opening"; crème fraîche on a warm blini and caviar added "using the tip of a knife". petrossian.fr
Leavitt, D. (Caviar Star) (2026). The Standard Caviar Serving Size. caviarstar.com (a caviar seller's own page, North Carolina), 16 April 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: a tasting "approximately 10 to 15 grams", a generous appetizer "28 to 30 grams (about 1 ounce)", "some hosts may even serve 50 grams", a garnish or a canapé station "3 to 5 grams"; advises "multiple smaller tins rather than one large tin". caviarstar.com
Caviar Star (2026). How Do You Portion Out Caviar? A Guide to Serving Sizes. caviarstar.com (a caviar seller's own page), 24 September 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: "approximately ½ to 1 ounce of caviar per person" as an appetizer, "1 to 2 ounces" caviar-focused; for a small blini "½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon"; "Mother-of-pearl, shell, horn, glass, or other non-reactive serving utensils". caviarstar.com
Prunier (2024). How should you eat caviar? prunier.com (a caviar seller's own page, French house), published 13 March 2024, read in full on 7 November 2026: "between 10 and 15 grams per person for beginners - 20 grams per person for a cocktail party - 50 grams per person for a starter - 75 grams per person for dinner - a tin of 125 to 250 grams to share as a starter, for 4 people"; Origin tins "in 500-gram and 1kg sizes"; on "a bed of ice"; "within 48 hours of opening"; "natural materials or plastic"; new potatoes, eggs, buttered bread; "a dry white wine or champagne", vodka "some people prefer". prunier.com
Petrus Caviar (2026). Caviar Serving Size Guide: How Much Per Person. petruscocaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: appetizer "at least 15-30 grams", main course "about 30-50 grams", tastings "5-10 grams ... of each variety"; its own summary "1 oz (28g) ... classic caviar service, ½ oz (14g) ... tasting or appetizer, and 2 oz (56g) ... main event" (the page disagrees with itself on the appetizer). petruscocaviar.com
Petrus Caviar (2026). Best Way to Serve Caviar. petruscocaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), 24 February 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: "place the unopened tin directly on a bed of crushed ice"; "keep the tin nested in crushed ice throughout service"; "Standard silver or stainless steel can react subtly with the salt and natural oils, creating a faint metallic note" (no test cited); blinis, buttered toast points or boiled potatoes, "champagne or chilled vodka". petruscocaviar.com
Just Caviar (2026). How much caviar per person: serving sizes by occasion. justcaviar.us (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: per person, first taste 15 g, appetizer with drinks 20 g, caviar course at dinner 30 g, main event 45 g, celebration "60g+"; "Plan 15 to 20g per attendee for passed appetizers"; tins 30 g "1 to 2 people", 50 g "2 people", 125 g "4 people", 250 g "6 to 8 people". justcaviar.us
Caviar Market NYC (2026). How Much Caviar Per Person: Portion Guide. caviarmarketnyc.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "5 to 10 grams per person: A taste, canapé topper, or first-time sampling", "15 to 30 grams per person: A true tasting or caviar-forward course", "30 to 50 grams per person: A celebratory caviar experience", and elsewhere "20 to 30 grams when caviar is the main event"; per blini "0.5 gram", "1 gram", "1.5 to 2 grams"; "1 to 2 grams per egg half"; "0.5 to 1 gram per chip"; "Add 10 percent". caviarmarketnyc.com
Caviar Lover (2026). How Much Caviar Do You Need Per Person? A Complete Portion Guide. caviarlover.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: taste "5-10 grams", standard tasting "10-15 grams", appetizer "15-30 grams", main feature "30-50 grams"; a bump or small bite "5-10g per person"; "common sizes: 10g, 30g (1 oz ≈ 28g), 50g, 100g". caviarlover.com
RT Caviar (2026). The Perfect Serving: How Much Black Caviar Do You Really Need? rtcaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: tasting "5-10g per person", appetizer or canapés "15-30g per person", luxury main course "50-75g per person"; tins "ranging from 28g to 500g". rtcaviar.com
Beleaev (2026). How Much Caviar Do You Need Per Person? beleaev.com (a caviar seller's own page, UK), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "This guide uses 5g for a garnish, 10g for a tasting and 20g for a short caviar course"; its product pages "describe 30g as one guest, 50g as one to two guests, 125g as two to four guests and 250g as four to eight guests"; "20g, 30g, 50g, 125g, 250g and 1kg formats" checked 11 October 2026; "Two or three grams per canapé are calculation examples, not tested yields". beleaev.com
Beleaev (2026). How to Serve Caviar: The Complete Host's Guide. beleaev.com (a caviar seller's own page, UK), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: tasting or amuse-bouche "10-15g", starter course "30-50g", caviar-focused event "50-100g" per person; "around 6 to 8°C, on crushed ice"; "Mother of pearl spoons only; metal causes a sulphur reaction that ruins flavour" (no test cited). beleaev.com
Imperia Caviar (2025). How Much Caviar to Serve per Person at a Party. imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page, Los Angeles), 17 October 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: as an appetizer "½ to 1 ounce (about 15-30 grams) per person"; a main feature "1 to 2 ounces per person". imperiacaviar.com
Imperia Caviar (2026). How to Serve Caviar Like a Pro. imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Traditionally, caviar is served in a crystal bowl over ice"; "The correct serving size is between ½ to 1 ounce per guest"; "serve caviar Russian-style and pair it with vodka or alongside a Russian pancake"; leftovers keep in the fridge "for a few days". imperiacaviar.com
Caviar Foodie (2026). How Much Caviar Per Person? Party & Event Serving Guide. caviarfoodie.com (a caviar seller's own page, a mobile caviar service), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: tasting 10 to 15 g, appetizers and canapés "15 to 20 grams per person", generous "25 to 30 grams", luxury tasting 30 to 50 g; a wedding of 100, passed canapés "Approximately 500g to 1kg". caviarfoodie.com
Caviarman Gourmet (2026). How Much Caviar Do You Need Per Person? caviarman.com (a caviar seller's own page, Washington State), page dated in August to November 2026 (post date not isolated), read in full on 7 November 2026: "1/4 oz per person: Small tasting or garnish 1/2 oz per person: Light appetizer 1 oz per person: Generous appetizer ... 1.5 to 2 oz per person: Main feature"; "around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of caviar per blini". caviarman.com
Ikraa Caviar (2026). How to Serve Caviar at Home Like a Pro. ikraacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "For an elegant appetizer: 1 oz (30g) per person For a tasting flight or indulgent experience: 50-100g per guest"; "nest the tin inside a shallow bowl filled with crushed ice"; warm blinis, crème fraîche, chopped egg whites and yolks served separately, chives or shallots; ice-cold vodka, brut or extra-brut Champagne, Chablis or Sancerre. ikraacaviar.com
The Fine Source (2026). How to Serve Caviar Perfectly at Home. thefinesource.com (a caviar seller's own page, UK), page dated May and June 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: "For a tasting or canapé setting, allow 10-15g per person"; "As a standalone starter, 30g is the minimum"; "For a centrepiece occasion, 50g per person"; "Bone, glass, or quality plastic are acceptable alternatives" to metal (no test cited). thefinesource.com
The Caviar Farm (2026). How to Serve Caviar. thecaviarfarm.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "based on serving with no garnishes", "1 Person (or 2 if just tasting): 30g-50g"; "as little as 5 grams of caviar per prepared bite when combining several garnishes"; potato chips, blinis, latkes, buttered toast points. thecaviarfarm.com
Bester Caviar (2026). Blinis and Caviar: Best Recipes & Serving Guide. bestercaviarstore.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "allow 1 oz (28g) of caviar per person alongside 3-4 blinis"; main event 1.5 to 2 oz a guest; "add a teaspoon of caviar on top" of a blini. bestercaviarstore.com
Browne Trading Company (2026). How to Serve Caviar: Guide to Caviar Care. brownetrading.com (a caviar seller's own page, Portland, Maine; it also sells the spoons), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: tin to guests, "30g / 1oz. 1-2 people medium hors d'oeuvres" up to "1 kilo / 2.2 lbs. 20-25 people medium hors d'oeuvres or 80-90 people light"; "a two-piece service set. The top holds the delicate eggs, while the bottom contains shaved ice"; out of the fridge "5-10 minutes before serving"; "metal utensils detract" (no test cited); blinis with crème fraiche, toast points with sweet butter, boiled petit potatoes; "unopened for 4-6 weeks, and once opened for three days"; never frozen. brownetrading.com
Browne Trading Company (2025). Classic Caviar Service (recipe). brownetrading.com (a caviar seller's own page), 28 November 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Yield: 10 servings 250g ... caviar", 16 blini, brioche, crème fraiche, butter, capers, red onion, chives, six hard-boiled eggs; "Place each of the garnishes in a separate bowl"; "Place the opened caviar tin on crushed ice and serve with mother of pearl spoons". brownetrading.com
Browne Trading Company (2023). How to Store Caviar. brownetrading.com (a caviar seller's own page), 12 December 2023, read in full on 7 November 2026: "We recommend consuming opened caviar within 1-3 days"; tins stored upside down. brownetrading.com
Petrossian (USA) (2026). Beyond the Blini. petrossian.com journal (a caviar seller's own page; it sells the spoons), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: latkes or Hasselback bites, deviled eggs topped "with a generous spoon of Kaluga Huso caviar"; "Always use a mother-of-pearl spoon ... Metal utensils oxidize upon contact with caviar" (no test cited). petrossian.com
Petrossian (USA) (2026). September Gatherings Made Unforgettable: The Art of Caviar Presentation. petrossian.com journal (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "never use metal spoons"; the tin "suspended above a bed of crushed ice" in a server; guests self-serve with mother-of-pearl utensils; warm mini blinis, crème fraîche, Brut Champagne or ice-cold vodka. petrossian.com
Petrossian (2026). The caviar spoon (L'indispensable cuillère ?). petrossian.fr (a caviar seller's own page; it sells the spoons), a prior reading for our fine dining etiquette guide (October 2026), not re-fetched: "It is customary to enjoy caviar with a mother-of-pearl spoon", which "prevents oxidation of the grains"; stainless steel "an acceptable alternative"; "At Petrossian, there are no rules". petrossian.fr
Petrossian (2026). Frequently asked questions: How long does your caviar keep? petrossian.fr, UK English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: unopened "at 0-4 °C (32-39 °F) for about one month"; "Once opened, it must be consumed within 24 hours"; "should never be frozen"; a spoon "made of mother-of-pearl, stainless steel, or hardwood. Silver is to be avoided". petrossian.fr
Petrossian (2026). At What Temperature Should Caviar Be Served? petrossian.fr, English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Between 8 and 9°C"; tins "of 250g and larger" out 10 minutes before; "Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 30 minutes"; unopened "8 weeks in the refrigerator at a temperature between 4 and 8°C" and elsewhere "4 to 8 weeks"; "Use a non-metallic spoon (mother-of-pearl, wood, plastic)"; "If the smell becomes very strong, acidic or ammonia-like, do not consume it". petrossian.fr
Petrossian (2026). Fresh Malossol Caviar vs. Pasteurized Caviar: Which One Should You Choose? petrossian.fr, English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "the term malossol mainly concerns the salting method, whereas pasteurisation corresponds to a preservation process using heat treatment"; "A pasteurised caviar can also be malossol"; "Petrossian caviars are all malossol and unpasteurised". petrossian.fr
Sterling Caviar (2026). Caviar Pairing Guide: 4 Tips to Serve at Home. sterlingcaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page, California), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: white sturgeon caviar "taste best without any distraction of a blini, cracker toast, egg or even créme fraiche"; "(reusable) plastic spoons or ... a small dollop on the back of your hand"; vodka "well chilled overnight"; champagne. sterlingcaviar.com
Sterling Caviar (2026). How long does caviar last after opening. sterlingcaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "between 28°F to 32°F"; beluga "within 1-2 days of opening", ossetra "up to 3 days"; "Freezing can alter its texture". sterlingcaviar.com
Giannini, A. (Sur La Table) (2026). How to Serve Caviar. surlatable.com (a kitchen retailer that sells caviar spoons), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026, yield 2 to 4: "Avoid metal spoons, which can affect the flavor. Instead, use mother of pearl, bone, glass, or high quality plastic spoons"; "Hard boiled egg whites and yolks, finely chopped and served separately"; "the caviar bump, where a small spoonful is placed on the back of the hand"; "plain potato chips or a baked potato"; "Champagne is the most traditional pairing". surlatable.com
Caviar Russe (2026). How to Store Caviar: Freshness, Shelf Life & Best Practices. caviarrusse.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "The ideal temperature range is 28°F to 32°F (-2°C to 0°C)"; "Standard refrigerators run at around 37°F (3°C)"; "4 weeks unopened from the date of processing"; "Consume opened caviar within 24-48 hours"; "never leave at room temperature for more than 15 minutes"; freezing "ruptures the delicate roe membranes". caviarrusse.com
Caviar Russe (2026). How to Buy Caviar Online: What to Look For & What to Avoid. caviarrusse.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Pasteurized caviar has been briefly heat-treated to extend shelf life (up to a year). The trade-off is a slightly firmer texture". caviarrusse.com
California Caviar Company (2026). How to serve and store caviar. californiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: storage at "28°" to "34°" (degrees, unit not printed; Fahrenheit from context); "Unopened, caviar will last 5 weeks. Once opened, enjoy your caviar within 5 days"; out "no more than 5 minutes before serving"; sturgeon best not frozen, "whitefish, salmon and trout caviars freeze nicely". californiacaviar.com
Imperia Caviar (2026). How Long Does Caviar Last? imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: out "roughly 10 to 15 minutes before serving"; fresh unpasteurised unopened "up to three weeks"; "within 48 hours" of opening; unrefrigerated it "can start to spoil after about two hours", "after one hour" at 90 degrees or above; on the same page "most caviars last four to six weeks" unopened and "up to 15 months in some cases". imperiacaviar.com
Imperia Caviar (2026). How to store opened caviar without losing freshness. imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "don't let it sit out at room temp for over 20 to 30 minutes"; "tuck the tin into a bowl of crushed ice"; "Use a non-metallic spoon"; finish "within 24 to 48 hours"; chill the serving dish "for half an hour first". imperiacaviar.com
Imperia Caviar (EU site) (2026). How to Open a Caviar Tin: Step-by-Step Guide (3 Methods). eu.imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "insert a caviar key or butter knife between the lid and the base, gently twist to break the vacuum seal, and lift the lid once you hear a soft pop"; avoid sharp knives or scissors; "Once opened, caviar should be consumed within two to three days". eu.imperiacaviar.com
Imperia Caviar (EU site) (2026). Can You Freeze Caviar? eu.imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), published 10 February 2026, modified 7 May 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Freezing damages caviar texture irreversibly"; "freezing is technically possible but almost always a bad trade"; "If the caviar is premium fresh malossol and you plan to serve it on a spoon or blini, do not freeze it". eu.imperiacaviar.com
Kolikof Caviar (2026). How Long Does Caviar Last? kolikof.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "around 28-32°F (-2 to 0°C)"; opened "within a few days". kolikof.com
Kolikof Caviar (2023). How to Properly Store Caviar After Opening. kolikof.com (a caviar seller's own page), 5 December 2023, read in full on 7 November 2026: leftovers "within 1-2 days"; into "an airtight container, preferably one made of glass or non-reactive material". kolikof.com
Kolikof Caviar (2026). Why Should We Not Use Metal Spoons For Caviar? kolikof.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Metal spoons can be reactive, which means that they can interact chemically with the caviar and alter its flavor or texture"; no study, chemist or test named on the page. kolikof.com
The Caviar Co. (2026). Caviar Care. thecaviarco.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "fresh for up to 4 weeks, refrigerated and unopened"; "within 4 days" of opening; "Metal has an unpleasant effect on caviar"; open with "a strong, flat edged tool between the lid and base of the tin, slowly twist". thecaviarco.com
Lemberg Caviar (2026). How long does caviar last? lemberg.uk (a caviar seller's own page; the English reads as machine-translated), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "If a specific smell of herring has appeared, then it is not fit to be consumed"; "within 24-48 hours after opening"; "6 months in the freezer ... at a temperature of -18°C (0°F)". lemberg.uk
Singer, L. (2025). How to Serve Caviar Like a True Gourmet. Social Life Magazine, 7 December 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: "between 28-32°F (-2 to 0°C)"; "Consume opened tins within 2-3 days maximum, ideally within 24-48 hours"; out "10-15 minutes before serving"; "a bowl or plate between ice and tin"; cites no source for its numbers. sociallifemagazine.com
The Takeout (2025). Here's How Long Caviar Is Good For Once Opened. thetakeout.com, 21 January 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Once opened, some caviars will last as little as one day or anywhere up to five days". thetakeout.com
Bromberg, M. (America's Test Kitchen) (2021). The Best Way to Store Caviar and Roe. americastestkitchen.com, 6 October 2021, read in full on 7 November 2026: unopened "three to five weeks"; opened, "aim to consume all the caviar or roe within 24 hours"; "keep an ice pack on top of the tin"; its "safe to eat after a day" cites no food-safety authority. americastestkitchen.com
Bromberg, M. (America's Test Kitchen) (2021). Do You Really Need a Mother-of-Pearl Spoon to Eat Caviar or Roe? americastestkitchen.com, 6 October 2021, read in full on 7 November 2026: an informal tasting, number of tasters not given: "Caviar eaten off the plastic, mother-of-pearl, and stainless-steel spoons tasted perfectly good. But caviar eaten off the silver spoon tasted terrible"; first "dismissed this as a gimmicky way for retailers" to sell spoons. americastestkitchen.com
The Naked Scientists (Miodownik, M., spelled Miadovnich in the transcript, and Laughlin, Z., UCL) (2012). Does metallic cutlery affect perception of food taste? thenakedscientists.com (science radio Q&A), 8 July 2012, read in full on 7 November 2026: blind tests "with just the spoon alone" (no caviar); "The alloy stainless steel actually produces the mildest taste"; silver with egg "tastes really foul". thenakedscientists.com
Vice (2015). It Turns Out Silver Spoons Make Food Taste Awful. vice.com, 11 February 2015, read in full on 7 November 2026: reports a UCL Institute of Making test, "50 volunteers" and spoons of seven metals (not caviar); "Stainless steel ... actually came in second, just after gold". vice.com
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (2017). Danger Zone (40 °F - 140 °F). fsis.usda.gov, page last updated 28 June 2017; an archived copy (June 2025) from a prior reading for our buffet guide, since fsis.usda.gov refuses this machine: "Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour"; cold food at or below 40°F (4°C), "Place food in containers on ice". fsis.usda.gov
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (2024). Ask USDA: How do I keep foods safe at a buffet? ask.fsis.usda.gov, last updated 10 July 2024; a prior reading (rendered capture, October 2026): "Unlike microorganisms that cause food to spoil, harmful or pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled or tasted"; "Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours". ask.fsis.usda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration (2024). Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely. fda.gov, content current as of 5 March 2024; read as an archived copy (30 September 2026), since fda.gov refuses this machine: "Never leave seafood or other perishable food out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F"; "Serve cold seafood on ice if it is going to stay out longer than 2 hours"; for people at risk, avoid "Raw or undercooked fish or shellfish" and "Refrigerated types of smoked seafood except in a cooked recipe"; the page does not name caviar or roe. fda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration (2025). People at Risk of Foodborne Illness. fda.gov, content current as of 16 January 2025; an archived copy from a prior reading for our buffet guide: foods to avoid include "Raw fish, partially cooked seafood (such as shrimp and crab), and refrigerated smoked seafood"; the page does not name caviar or roe. fda.gov
UK Food Standards Agency (2017). How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely. gov.uk, published 18 December 2017; a prior reading for our buffet guide: "Your fridge should be set between 0 and 5°C"; "Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation (a maximum of four hours)". gov.uk
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2026). 2-hour/4-hour rule (fact sheet for food businesses). foodstandards.gov.au, a prior reading for our buffet guide: under 2 hours between 5 and 60°C, food "can be used, sold or put back in the fridge"; 2 to 4 hours, use it but do not return it; over 4 hours, throw it away; the time "is cumulative". foodstandards.gov.au
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2025). Pregnancy and food (consumer page). foodstandards.gov.au, last updated 25 February 2025; read on 7 November 2026 only as a model-made extract of the page (WebFetch), a weak reading: higher-risk foods "may contain Listeria"; no caviar or roe named in that extract. foodstandards.gov.au
Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency (2026). FSS and FSA issue updated advice to higher-risk consumers on ready-to-eat cold-smoked and cured fish. foodstandards.gov.scot (news release), a prior reading for our canapés guide (16 October 2026): "we are advising that these consumers avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked and cured fish products"; names smoked salmon or trout and gravlax, not caviar or roe. foodstandards.gov.scot
NHS (England) (2026). Foods to avoid in pregnancy. nhs.uk, page last reviewed 15 June 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Foods to avoid" include "raw fish and raw shellfish"; "You should avoid raw, cold-smoked and cured fish because it could contain listeria bacteria"; "cold-smoked and cured fish, like smoked salmon", which "must be cooked until steaming hot"; "it could contain listeria bacteria"; "Listeriosis can cause miscarriage or stillbirth"; caviar, roe and fish eggs are not on the page. nhs.uk
Shin, J. H., & Rasco, B. A. (2007). Effect of water phase salt content and storage temperature on Listeria monocytogenes survival in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) roe and caviar (ikura). Journal of Food Science, 72(5), M160 to M165, abstract read on 7 November 2026 (PubMed record): Listeria "did not grow in chum salmon ikura held at 3 degrees C during 30 d at any salt level tested"; at 7°C salt "did little to inhibit Listeria growth at 7 degrees C" and "counts reached 5 to 6 logs CFU/g"; "temperature control is critical". doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00385.x
Shin, J. H., Oliveira, A. C., & Rasco, B. A. (2010). Quality attributes and microbial storage stability of caviar from cultivated white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). Journal of Food Science, 75(1), C43 to C48, abstract read on 7 November 2026 (PubMed record): "There were no significant differences in microbial storage stability for caviars from different fish stored at 3 degrees C"; at 7°C, less Listeria growth in two samples "until day 20". doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01409.x
Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO and WHO) (2010). Standard for Sturgeon Caviar (CXS 291-2010; amended 2011, 2013). fao.org, read in full on 7 November 2026 as PDF text: "Caviar: the product made from fish eggs of the Acipenseridae family by treating with food grade salt"; salt "equal or above 3g/100g and below or equal to 5g/100g"; "The use of colours and texturizing agents is not allowed"; names Beluga (Huso huso), Ossetra and Sevruga, hybrids labelled "hybrid"; "During packaging, storage and retail, the product temperature is between +2 and +4°C", wholesale "between 0° and -4°C"; freezing "not permitted unless the deterioration of quality is avoided"; defects include "objectionable odour and/or flavour indicative of decomposition" and "broken eggs or fluid"; a voluntary international standard, not itself national law. fao.org (PDF)
Welsh, M., & Thibodeaux, W. R. (2022). Garde Manger: A Guide to the Cold Kitchen, ch. 1.7, Hors d'Oeuvre, Caviar and Buffet Presentation. Workforce LibreTexts (open college textbook, CC BY-NC 4.0), last modified 5 October 2022; a prior reading for our garde manger guide (October 2026): "Store at 28-32°F unopened for up to 4 weeks. After opening use within 2-3 days"; malossol "only 2-3% salt by weight"; "Metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste" (no test cited); "As with other caviars, Osetra is traditionally served on blinis with crème fraiche" (this sentence checked live on 7 November 2026). libretexts.org
Escoffier, A. (1907). A Guide to Modern Cookery. William Heinemann, London; Internet Archive scan of the Cornell copy, the 1907 English edition, read on 7 November 2026 as the scan's text: No. 336 "Caviare and Blinis" ("served very simply, either in a silver timbale or in its original receptacle, surrounded with ice, and accompanied by a dish of Blinis"; onion with fresh caviar: "a worse practice could not be imagined"), No. 318 "Caviare Toast", No. 282 "Caviare Butter", No. 364 "Natives with Caviare" ("a tablespoonful of fine, fresh caviare"), "Lapwings' Eggs à la Moscovite" ("a coffeespoonful of caviare"); pages about 146 to 157, as the running heads show. archive.org
Escoffier, A., with Gilbert, P., & Fetu, E. (1903). Le Guide culinaire, aide-mémoire de cuisine pratique. Paris; Internet Archive scan (Wellcome Library copy), a prior reading for our canapés guide (October 2026), read as the scan's machine-read text: "Canapés au Caviar", round, caviar butter, a piped border of fresh butter, "Caviar frais au milieu, et oignon haché très fin à part" (fresh caviar in the middle, and very finely chopped onion on the side; our translation). archive.org
Larousse gastronomique (Robuchon committee) (1997). Larousse gastronomique, entry CAVIAR (French). Larousse-Bordas, Paris (1996 edition, 1997 printing); Internet Archive scan, read on 7 November 2026 as the scan's text (page number not in the OCR): caviar "s'accompagne à merveille de blinis et de crème aigre, ou de toasts grillés, légèrement beurrés" (OCR text corrected; goes wonderfully with blinis and sour cream, or lightly buttered grilled toasts; our translation). Its "jamais glacé" can mean never iced or never frozen, so we print no ice rule from it. archive.org
Ministry of the Food Industry of the USSR (2012). The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food (Kniga o vkusnoi i zdorovoi pishche), English edition. SkyPeak Publishing (the Soviet book first appeared in 1939); Internet Archive scan, read on 7 November 2026 as the scan's text (no page numbers), section "Sturgeon and Salmon Caviar": "Sturgeon caviar should be formed into a log on a plate, and decorated with sprigs of parsley, garnished with slices of lemon. Serve unsalted butter on the side"; salmon caviar "in small crystal salad bowls"; "Canapés with caviar" on a round of hard-boiled egg on toast; "Eggs Stuffed with Caviar and Mayonnaise": 2 eggs, 30 g salmon caviar. Which revised edition the English text follows is not printed. archive.org
Keller, T. (2016). The Thomas Keller Library: Oysters and Pearls. Workman Publishing blog, 15 November 2016; a prior reading for our quenelle guide, an archived copy: an excerpt from The French Laundry Cookbook (1999), the dish finished with "a quenelle, or small oval scoop, of caviar". blog.workman.com (archived)
Quintonil (2026). Menú Nuestro México, Octubre 2026. quintonil.com (restaurant's own menu), a prior reading for our tasting menu guide (October 2026): the menu prints each protein's weight, caviar among them at 4 to 6 g a course. quintonil.com
Katie Couric Media (2023). How to Embrace the Viral TikTok Caviar Potato Chip Trend. katiecouric.com, 10 January 2023, read in full on 7 November 2026: "For the past few months, TikTok users of all stripes have begun posting potato chips topped with small spoonfuls of caviar"; per Eater (as Couric cites it, not read by us), chefs had done it "for years". katiecouric.com
Waldera, J. (2024). Caviar And Potato Chips Are An Unrivaled Pairing. Food Republic, 25 February 2024, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Caviar is often served with blinis and perhaps crème fraîche and potato, but you can also eat it straight from the spoon"; Paramount Caviar serves baked chips at tastings in New York. foodrepublic.com
The Week (2025). How caviar went mainstream. theweek.com, 10 February 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: quoting Sudi Pigott in The Telegraph, a spoonful on the back of the hand, "few seconds to warm, then licking it off in one hit, preferably followed by a swig of champagne or ice-cold vodka"; "£30 for the smallest 10g tin of entry-level caviar, enough for a bump for four friends". theweek.com
Lobo, C. (2025). When happy hour in America meant a cheap beer … and free caviar? National Geographic, 27 February 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: caviar bumps, "eaten, not snorted, off the back of one's hand"; European service "mother-of-pearl spoons, champagne pairings". nationalgeographic.com
de Brún, S. (2025). Ireland is setting itself up for a summer of excess: The caviar bump food trend has arrived. The Irish Times, 20 March 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: the bump "fuelled by social media"; "more than 1.7 billion views of #caviarbump videos" on TikTok (the paper's count); Caspian communities "would sample caviar by placing it directly on the hand as a means of testing quality" (the paper names no source for this). irishtimes.com
Kelso, A. (2026). McDonald's jumps on the fried chicken and caviar trend. Nation's Restaurant News, 2 February 2026, read in full on 7 November 2026: a McNugget Caviar kit with "a one-ounce tin" of Paramount's Baerii sturgeon caviar, crème fraiche and a mother-of-pearl spoon; the trend reached the zeitgeist "during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in April 2025 when fried chicken concept COQODAQ sold six nuggets topped with Petrossian caviar for $100". nrn.com
Fortune (2026). McDonald's wants you to eat caviar McNuggets this Valentine's Day. fortune.com, 4 February 2026 (date from the URL), read in full on 7 November 2026: "In 2024, the pop star Rihanna downed caviar and chicken nuggets in a TikTok video"; "a one-ounce tin of Siberian sturgeon caviar costs $85 on Paramount's website". fortune.com
The Drinks Business (2025). Caviar chicken nuggets and postpartum mocktails: 2025's top trending Google searches. thedrinksbusiness.com, December 2025, read in full on 7 November 2026: "caviar chicken nuggets" among 2025's fastest-rising recipe searches. thedrinksbusiness.com
US Code of Federal Regulations (2026). 50 CFR 23.71, How can I trade internationally in sturgeon caviar? eCFR (as of 1 November 2026), read in full on 7 November 2026: "sturgeon caviar or caviar means the processed roe of any species of sturgeon or paddlefish (order Acipenseriformes)"; a WILDLIFE-TRADE (CITES) rule with a species code, source code, country and year of harvest on each container, not a food-labelling rule. ecfr.gov
US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005). Special Rule To Control the Trade of Threatened Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso). Federal Register, 4 March 2005, read in full on 7 November 2026: all sturgeons and paddlefishes are listed in CITES Appendices I (2 species) and II (23 species and paddlefishes), counts as of March 2005; Appendix-II species "may be traded commercially under a system of permits". federalregister.gov
US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005). Notice of Suspension of Trade in Threatened Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) From the Caspian Sea Basin. Federal Register, 30 September 2005, read in full on 7 November 2026: "we are suspending import of and foreign commerce in beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) caviar and meat originating in the Caspian Sea littoral states"; a Federal Register search returned no notice lifting it, in what we read. federalregister.gov
US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005). Notice of Suspension of Trade in Threatened Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) From the Black Sea. Federal Register, 28 October 2005, read in full on 7 November 2026: the same suspension for beluga caviar and meat from the Black Sea littoral states. federalregister.gov
US Code of Federal Regulations (2026). 50 CFR 17.44(y), Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso). eCFR (as of 1 November 2026), read in full on 7 November 2026: the beluga special rule is still in the current CFR; "Beluga sturgeon caviar ... must be labeled in accordance with the CITES labeling requirements in 50 CFR part 23". ecfr.gov
Chapman, F. A., & Van Eenennaam, J. P. (2016). Technically Speaking, What Is Sturgeon Caviar? (FA194). UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, June 2016, reviewed 2019 and 2025; read in full on 7 November 2026 as PDF text: US food regulations let "only the eggs from sturgeon and paddlefish" be "marketed with simply the word "caviar""; others are labelled by species, "like lumpfish caviar ... or salmon caviar"; sturgeon eggs "typically 2.8 to 4.2 mm", "shades of brown, grey, and black"; malossol "lightly salted (3-4% salt)"; "caviar" from the Turkish "havyar". edis.ifas.ufl.edu
Market Advisory Council (EU) (2021). Aquaculture Advisory Council's Recommendation on Labelling of Caviar (MAC advice). marketac.eu (PDF), 14 April 2021, read in full on 7 November 2026 as PDF text: caviar and caviar substitutes "are not covered by the consumer information requirements established in Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013"; the AAC asked for "a common marketing standard for caviar"; customs "caviar substitutes" are "prepared from the eggs of fish other than sturgeon" (quoting the WCO notes). marketac.eu (PDF)
WWF International, Danube-Carpathian Programme (2014). The basics of legal caviar trade (brochure). WWF (EU LIFE-funded; "not an official statement of the law"), information as of March 2014, read in full on 7 November 2026 as PDF text: "It is hardly possible to determine the species of origin by simply looking at the caviar, as grain sizes and colours vary with age and within species"; other roes "are often sold as "caviar""; counterfeit caviar "is usually dyed". panda.org (PDF)
EUMOFA (European Commission) (2022). Salmon and Trout Roe: Production, Trade, and Consumption. European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products, October 2022, read in full on 7 November 2026 as PDF text: salmon and trout roe "from deep red to light orange", the grains "larger" than sturgeon roe; ikura is "a Japanese term based on the Russian word for fish roe, ikra". europa.eu (PDF)
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (reprinted by Ukrainian Importers of Fish and Seafood) (2026). Wild salmon caviar of Alaska. uifsa.ua (an industry body's material; ASMI's own site refused this machine), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: keta roe "pale red with strong orange overtones", top grade "5 mm or larger"; pink "3.5 mm or larger"; sockeye "significantly smaller". uifsa.ua
Browne Trading Company (2026). Caviar and roe product listings (product feed). brownetrading.com (a caviar seller's own page and importer), read on 7 November 2026 from the shop's product feed, every record updated that day: each lot's printed colour, pearl size in mm, species and price per tin as "N grams - $P - serves X-Y"; "pure beluga caviar is illegal to import into the US"; a one-day price snapshot in US dollars. brownetrading.com
Browne Trading Company (2026). Paddlefish Caviar (Spoonbill). brownetrading.com (a caviar seller's own page), product page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Color: steel to charcoal Pearl Size: small to medium (1.6-2mm)"; "1 ounce - $62 - serves 1-2"; wild-harvested from tributaries of the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. brownetrading.com
Petrossian (USA) (2026). Petrossian Caviars (collection page). petrossian.com (a caviar seller's own page), read on 7 November 2026: "Royal Ossetra Caviar From $138", "Royal Persicus Caviar From $79", "Royal Beluga Hybrid Caviar From $249"; "Available in 30g, 50g, 125g, 250g, 500g, 1kg" (the page does not say which size the "From" price buys); "Beluga has been banned for import into the US for twenty years". petrossian.com
Petrossian (2026). Caviar type: what is the best caviar? petrossian.fr, English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Beluga has the largest grains with a pearl grey to anthracite colour"; Ossetra "medium-sized grains ... from grey-brown to golden brown"; wild caviar's "commercialization is now prohibited. Farmed caviar is now the standard" (the house's own summary). petrossian.fr
Petrossian (2026). Sevruga caviar (collection page). petrossian.fr, UK English pages (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: sevruga eggs "small, between 2.3 and 2.5 mm", "anthracite grey and jet black to pearl grey and light grey"; Acipenser stellatus "now classified as critically endangered"; farmed sevruga back in 2019 as "Steluga". petrossian.fr
Imperia Caviar (2026). What Is Fish Roe? Types, Taste & Uses. imperiacaviar.com (a caviar seller's own page), undated page, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Fish roe = fish eggs. Caviar = specifically sturgeon roe, cured with salt"; masago is capelin roe; "Tobiko is slightly larger (0.5-0.8 mm vs. masago's 0.3-0.5 mm)"; masago "sometimes falsely sold as tobiko"; lumpfish roe "a budget caviar alternative". imperiacaviar.com
Trésor de la langue française informatisé (CNRS, ATILF) (2026). Caviar: étymologie. cnrtl.fr, read in full on 7 November 2026: earliest French use "1432 cavyaire"; borrowed from Venetian caviaro and Italian caviale, "empruntés au turc ḫāwyār". cnrtl.fr
Académie française (2026). Caviar. Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th edition. dictionnaire-academie.fr, read in full on 7 November 2026: "Mets constitué d'œufs d'esturgeon conservés selon certains procédés de salaison" (sturgeon eggs preserved by salting, our translation); also "d'autres poissons. Caviar rouge, fait avec des œufs de saumon"; 15th century "cavyaire", from Venetian, from Turkish. dictionnaire-academie.fr
Dictionary.com (2026). Caviar. dictionary.com (Random House Unabridged Dictionary), read in full on 7 November 2026: "First recorded in 1585-95"; from Italian, "apparently from Turkish havyar, from Persian". dictionary.com
Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2 (Project Gutenberg ebook 1524). Project Gutenberg, read on 7 November 2026: "'twas caviare to the general". gutenberg.org

How to serve caviar: how much per guest, keeping it cold, and 8 ways to plate it

How do you serve caviar?

How much caviar per person

How much caviar per blini, canapé or egg

Caviar tin sizes

How much caviar to buy for 2, 4, 8, 12 or 20 guests

Keeping caviar cold: storage temperature, serving on ice and how long it can sit out

Caviar storage temperature

Serving it on ice

How long can caviar sit out?

How long caviar lasts: opened and unopened

Malossol and pasteurised: what the labels mean

Can you freeze caviar?

How to tell caviar has gone off

Opening the tin

The caviar spoon: mother-of-pearl, or is metal fine?

What to serve with caviar, and what to drink

Onion with caviar: Escoffier said no

What to drink with caviar

Eight ways to plate caviar

The tin, or a bowl, on crushed ice

On blini with crème fraîche

On toast: Escoffier's caviar toast

On egg

With an oyster

As a quenelle on a dish

Formed into a log on a plate

The bump, on the back of the hand

Chips, chicken nuggets and the caviar bump, dated

Caviar vs roe: what may be called caviar

Types of caviar and the other roes

Cheaper roes to serve instead (our framing)

Where the word caviar comes from

Who should be careful with caviar

How to serve caviar, answered

How much caviar per person?

How much caviar should I buy for a party?

How much caviar per blini?

What do you serve with caviar?

How long can caviar sit out?

What temperature should caviar be stored at?

How long does caviar last after opening?

Why can't you use a metal spoon with caviar?

What is a caviar bump?

What is the difference between caviar and roe?

What are the types of caviar?

What size tins does caviar come in?

Can you eat caviar when pregnant?

Your food, plated like a chef's

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The sellers, books, authorities and studies behind this page

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