Red vs Black Caviar: What Changes on the Palate

On the Slavic table, “caviar” comes in two colours, and they are not two grades of the same thing. Red is salmon roe; black is sturgeon roe. They look different, taste different, cost very differently, and are loved for different reasons. Here is how to tell them apart and how to choose.

Red caviar: bright, generous, a crowd’s favourite

Red caviar is the roe of salmon: large, translucent orange-red pearls that pop when pressed and release a clean, briny, slightly sweet burst. It is the caviar of celebrations across Russia and Eastern Europe, piled on blinis with a little cream, and it is the one to order when the table is big or when someone is trying caviar for the first time.

At Maison Almaz it appears as the Rituel Rouge, served by the gram in 10g, 50g or 100g, from 400K to 3,000K, and in the Red Caviar Selection, two pieces on brioche, 350K. It also works as an add-on: red caviar on the salmon crêpes at breakfast is one of the quiet pleasures of the menu.

Black caviar: fine, nutty, longer

Black caviar is sturgeon roe: smaller, darker pearls, softer on the tongue, with a flavour that is less about the pop and more about the finish, buttery, nutty, faintly of the sea. Within black caviar the differences are about the sturgeon:

• Sturgeon (our Rituel Sturgeon): the classic. 10g, 30g, 50g or 100g, from 600K to 4,900K.
• Beluga (our Rituel Beluga): the rarest, with the largest, most delicate pearls and the cleanest finish. 10g or 30g, from 1,100K to 2,100K.

For a composed plate rather than a ritual, the Black Caviar Selection is four pieces on brioche, 590K, and the Black Caviar Blinis are 600K. Add black caviar to the beef tartare for a small, serious upgrade.

Side by side

	Red (salmon)	Black (sturgeon, beluga)
Pearl	Large, orange-red, pops	Small, dark, soft
Flavour	Bright, briny, slightly sweet	Nutty, buttery, long finish
Best for	Big tables, first-timers, blinis	Slow tasting, small portions, occasions
From	400K per 10g	600K per 10g (sturgeon), 1,100K (beluga)

How to order them together

The Slavic way is to have both. Red for the table, a 50g or 100g Rituel Rouge with plenty of blinis, so everyone builds their own; then a small black ritual to finish, 10g or 30g of sturgeon or beluga, eaten slowly with cold vodka or champagne. Start red, finish black: the delicate one comes last.

A few rules that make both taste better: keep it cold, eat it soon after it arrives, use the blini as a base rather than a bed, and do not use a metal spoon.

The full caviar section is on the menu, and there is a longer guide to the rituals in Caviar in Bali. To have a ritual ready when you sit down, reserve a table and tell us the weight.