A Gift of Caviar

Caviar, as we all know, is the roe (eggs) of a specific fish...the (wild) sturgeon fish, to be exact.  A gift of caviar.....is a gift of luxury!  Well, that is if you get real caviar (as true caviar only comes from sturgeon)! There are many different grades of caviar out there...from super expensive ones to cheaper substitutes or alternatives.  Though only sturgeon roe is considered true caviar, roe of other fish like salmon, trout or lumpfish, even whitefish, carp or paddlefish is also referred to as caviar by some.  This one I got (from Iceland) as a gift is actually lumpfish roe (also referred to as caviar).

From what I know, read and seen (on TV), one of the most prized caviar it seems is Beluga caviar (coz the Beluga sturgeon is critically endangered).  Malaysia has also become a producer of caviar of late, specifically a luxury brand called T'lur Caviar with its farm in Tanjung Malim, Perak.  Even these locally produced ones can cost hundreds of ringgit for just 30g! O_o

It's not that I'd ever get to taste real caviar anytime soon...or in my lifetime...lol!  What I do get to taste are the cheaper versions of caviar or, maybe, imitation caviar that some restaurants offer.  I remember my first ever taste of 'cheap' caviar was in the form of a starter from Victoria Station in Jalan Ampang but that was before I started blogging, so no photos were taken.  In case you're gifted a can of caviar and don't know what to do with it, let me show you just a few ways you can use them in some simple home recipes.

#1 - Caviar on Toast Points

But that appetiser in Victoria Station remained vividly in my mind that I'm able to replicate it at home.  Turns out that's the traditional way of eating caviar...with a selection of condiments like chopped hardboiled egg (some would serve the whites and yolks separately...why, I don't know, coz when it goes into our mouths, they'd be together...lol), finely chopped shallots/onions and chives with optional lemon wedges and creme fraiche.

My rendition is a little simpler with less components.  The way to eat this is you scoop a little bit of everything onto a slice of buttered toast point (a toast point is a triangular piece of bread that has been toasted with the crust cut off), top that with a bit of caviar...and take a bite! ^o^

It's very good, I tell you...biting into these tiny discs of caviar, you get this crunchy texture with a briny, salty burst of juices for a pop of sensation in your mouth.  Somewhat similar to tobiko (flying fish roe) in its crunchy texture and ikura (salmon roe) with its pop of juices.

#2 - Caviar on Crackers or Blinis

Of course, the simplest way is to put the caviar on crackers.  Some would serve it on blinis (a small, savoury pancake) together with a dollop of creme fraiche.  Creme fraiche and caviar is a classic combination that pairs perfectly well together.

I'm not sure if I've had creme fraiche before...I'm sure I've had and not know it.  Since I'm not that into cream, I omitted it (+ it's not easily found at our regular supermarkets anyway)...perhaps the higher-end supermarkets might have it.  These bite-sized lovelies are great as hors d'oeuvres or finger food for parties.

#3 - Caviar on Eggs

Besides the great pairing of creme fraiche and caviar, the other match that's perfectly made for one another is the pairing of eggs and caviar.

#3.1 - With Deviled Eggs

I'm sure many of us have seen this dish on TV or in food magazines and cookbooks.  It's pretty easy to prepare and it also makes a good appetiser or finger food for parties.

I've made this deviled eggs before...but that version was missing the luxurious ingredient of caviar, of course. I didn't even need to salt the eggs as the caviar was quite salty (which I wasn't expecting) or, should I say, taste of the sea! ;)

#3.2 - With Soft-Boiled Eggs

I once had soft-boiled eggs with black truffle shavings (and foie gras) that I thought elevated the humble soft-boiled eggs.  If a prized delicacy like truffle can do that, I'm assuming the luscious addition of caviar can do so too, and rightly so, it sure did.

This is not the kopitiam version of soft-boiled eggs, so no soy sauce, please...hah..hah.  Anyway, the caviar brings enough saltiness to the dish.  Who wants the typical kopitiam version now that I've tasted the luxurious version...and wish I can have that to start my every morning! ^_~  

#3.3 - With Scrambled Eggs

If it works with hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs, why wouldn't it work with scrambled eggs, right?  The rather crisp tiny pearls of caviar create a nice contrast to the soft scrambled eggs.  It'll take your humble western breakfast to a Michelin star dish (lol!) and make it that much fancier.

If you're making this for friends/guests, your posh breakfast will be the subject of conversation among friends for a long time to come.  Seen here paired with some gourmet chicken garlic slices.

Sprinkle some finely chopped chives over the eggs if you have (I don't).  And yes, you can use a bit of freshly grinded black pepper with caviar as it can enhance the flavour profile of the caviar.  If the scrambled eggs look a bit less runny than usual, that's because I like my scrambled eggs cooked a bit more that way.

#4 - Caviar on Potatoes

One of the chefs on Top Chef once mentioned that caviar goes very well with potatoes.  For a cheffy rendition, it'll probably be in a dish of confit or fondant potatoes.  For the non-chefs in us, we can just pan-fry or bake the potatoes lah.

Dollop each potato rectangle with a little sour cream, mayo or creme fraiche and caviar (you can make it pretty with some strands of chives too).

#4.1 - With Potato Chips

If making potatoes is too troublesome for you, the easiest would be to use potato chips (unsalted, of course). Some (like the caviar connoisseurs) might frown upon this way of pairing caviar with potato chips but it's really good, I can vouch for that....crispy, salty, heavenly in one bite! ^.^

I think I went a bit overboard with too much caviar (for the sake of photo taking :D) on such a small, thin piece of chip...lol! :D  Just a little will do, otherwise you may end up with too salty a bite.

#5 - Caviar on Seafood or Pasta

When I think of caviar with seafood, the obvious ones that come to mind would be oysters, scallops, cured/smoked salmon, shrimps and crab cakes which I've seen on many food/cooking shows and competitions.

You can use the caviar to elevate a common appetiser like prawn cocktail to make it just a little bit more posh for your guests.  Equally as common is a dollop of caviar on top of pasta...the same way you'd see tobiko and ikura on pasta, so you know this is a winning combination also.

Overall, the caviar was good...it certainly elevated the dishes (and snacks) that I had.  I wasn't expecting the caviar to be that savoury, so I only needed to salt my dishes very lightly or not at all.  I enjoyed it the most with the scrambled eggs and soft-boiled eggs.  The bottle might look very small (100g) but a little goes a long way.

While lumpfish roe and sturgeon caviar may look fairly similar (except that lumpfish roe is really tiny unlike the larger, more luscious pearls of caviar), lumpfish roe is technically not caviar (though many such alternatives are still referred to as caviar)!  While lumpfish roe is not quite caviar, it still tasted great.  So, imagine if this was the real, luxurious, fine caviar! O_o  Due to its accessibility and affordability, you can use as much as you like...spread it on toast points, use it as a topping on your dishes (specifically eggs) or simply as a hors d'oeuvres.

So, thanks to my sister-in-law for her gift of lumpfish caviar which she got from her travels to Iceland....and even though this is not the real or super expensive caviar...it still tasted pretty darn good to me (and I wished there was more).  If I find them selling here, I would surely buy without hesitation...but, no, I googled and it's not sold here! :'(

#ewew cooks Chargrilled Prawns with Mango Salsa

I managed to finish up the balance half of my scallops in a dish of Seared Scallops with Sugar Snap Peas in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce and had to cook another dish to finish off the other half of the large prawns I was given.

After flubbing the butterflying of prawns, more than once, I thought I better choose a safer option and do one where the prawns are peeled completely...that I can do! ;)  I've always loved salsa (including the dance *wink*) but have never made it at home, so my dish is going to be Chargrilled Prawns with Mango Salsa.

Ingredients:

6 large prawns

1 medium ripe mango

1/4 of a small red onion (1 tbsp)

1/2 a red chilli (1/2 tbsp)

1 clove of garlic (1/2 tbsp)
1 stalk fresh coriander leaves (2 tbsp)

Juice of half a lemon

A drizzle of honey

Marinade (for the prawns)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp honey

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp coriander roots

Preparation:

Marinate the shelled prawns with salt, pepper, honey, olive oil and finely chopped coriander roots for at least an hour in the fridge.

In the meantime, finely dice one clove of garlic, half a red chilli, a quarter of a small red onion and some fresh coriander leaves.  If you think you can't take the heat of a red chilli, by all means substitute it with finely chopped red bell pepper.

I used to hate the pungency of raw onions until I discovered the 'secret' to mellow out the strong taste of the onions.  To get the sting out of the raw onions, just let them steep in water for about ten minutes before draining them for use (I just used tap water though the tip will tell you to use cold or ice water).

Method:

Fry the prawns in some olive oil under medium heat until slightly charred.  This is a quick-fire dish as the honey seasoning in the prawns will coz the oil to darken very quickly, so speed is of the essence! ^_*

When the prawns are almost done, stir in the chopped garlic followed by half of the chopped fresh coriander when the garlic is slightly golden.

Dish up immediately (and make sure you pour over some of that lovely garlicky-coriander sauce too).

To put the salsa together, dice the mango into small cubes and add the finely chopped red chilli, onions and balance of coriander leaves.

Pour in the juice of half a lemon and stir to combine everything together (I use lemon juice coz I find that it's less sour than lime but you can certainly use lime if you want to).  A drizzle of honey (optional) will add some sweetness to the vinaigrette (if you find the salsa too acidic for you).

And the mango salsa is done!  Spoon the salsa onto a plate and top with the prawns...and here's my Chargrilled Prawns with Mango Salsa.  It's light, it's fresh, it's utterly delicious.....and so quick to make. Sensational as a starter or even as a 'dieters-rejoice' main meal.

Mango and prawns.....one of those perfect marriages (of ingredients)! ^_*

I absolutely adored the flavour of the prawns with the sweetness of the mango together, a bit of crunch from the onions, very faint hint of heat from the chillies (can add more), freshness from the coriander and the zesty flavours of the lemon/honey vinaigrette made the dish pop....so good! ^o^

I just can't believe how good it turned out.....you have to so make this (especially so if you love anything and everything tangy) ^.^  This is one dish (besides the Best Cauliflower Dish Ever) that I implore you to make but you must be willing to spend a little and do it with decent-sized prawns (coz small prawns just won't have the same effect).

I wonder why I've not made mango salsa sooner at home...it's so simple to do.  Well, I guess I'll have to fix that coz this is one dish I'm definitely going to make repeatedly.  I think it's going to be great with any kind of seafood or even as a dip with tortilla chips.

Serves 2 (as a starter) or 1 (as a light meal)

#ewew cooks Seared Scallops & Sugar Snap Peas in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce

After cooking Seared Scallops & Prawns in Garlic Butter the other day, I still had half the scallops left which I didn't want to keep for too long so as to ensure it's eaten at its optimum freshness.  Though these were frozen scallops, they tasted decently fresh with no fishy smell whatsoever.

So, I thought I'd make Seared Scallops & Sugar Snap Peas in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce.  Initially, I wanted to pair it with grilled asparagus as we all know that scallops and asparagus is a classic combo but when I saw how costly one packet of thick asparagus (about 10 stalks) was (they were RM23!) and pencil thin ones just won't do, I decided to look for an alternative.

The dish was inspired by what I had at WhupWhup (that cost RM35 a year ago) which I remembered enjoying very much.  I googled for recipes on how to make the salted egg yolk sauce and realised it was actually quite simple...you just need salted egg yolks, cream or milk and sugar.

Ingredients:

10 scallops
2 salted egg yolks

1 packet sugar snap peas (about 20)

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp water

A little flour (for dredging)

Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

A pinch of sugar

Olive oil (for frying)

Preparation:

Wash the scallops and pat them really dry (don't bother with removing the adductor muscles).  Place them on a paper towel and keep them refrigerated until you're ready to cook.

Prep the sugar snap peas as you would french beans by discarding the stem end and removing the string from each sugar snap pea.

Crack the salted eggs and make sure you discard all the whites.  The whites will be sticky, so your hands will be the best tool to pull them away from the yolks.

Method:

Cook the salted egg yolks by steaming them for about 10 minutes.

Mash them up as finely as you can with a fork.  The end result will be a sauce that's more coarse.  If you want a smoother sauce (like a puree), you can blitz it up in a blender (you might want to do that if you're serving it to guests).

Blanch the sugar snap peas in salted boiling water for no more than a minute.  This will ensure it stays crunchy to the bite.  Fish them out and sprinkle some salt and black pepper over them.

Season the scallops with salt and freshly cracked black pepper (at the very last second) just before they go into the pan.  

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat to sear the scallops.  This time, I decided to dredge the top and bottom of each scallop with a light dusting of flour.  Don't crowd the scallops in the pan otherwise they'll end up steaming instead of searing.  Fry them in batches if you have to if you're using a small pan (like I did).  Flip them over once you see a nice golden crust developing.  It should take about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side. It's better to under cook the scallops as overcooking will make them rubbery.  

Because some browned bits had formed at the bottom of the pan, I decided to rinse the pan and scrape away those bits (lesson learnt from past experience) if I want my sauce to look good.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter into the pan over low heat as we want the butter to just melt, not brown.

Once the butter has melted, add in the mashed egg yolks and stir.  At this point, most recipes would ask you to add milk or cream (but since I have neither and I don't do dairy), I added 2 tbsp of water instead to thin out the sauce just a little.

Sprinkle a pinch of sugar to add a hint of sweetness to the sauce.  The salted egg yolks are plenty salty, so I don't think any salt is needed (though some might beg to differ, so it's your preference if you want to add a pinch).  Keep stirring until you see the sauce bubbling and that's when you know it's ready.

Time to plate up.  Spoon a dollop of sauce for each of the scallop to sit in, interspersed with the blanched sugar snap peas.  And there you have it....my Seared Scallops & Sugar Snap Peas in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce.

It looks not bad I have to say but I was itching to make a prettier presentation...like a restaurant-quality one, so I dabbled with it and came up with this.

Can, ah?  Did I put my knowledge (from watching all those cooking competitions like Masterchef and Top Chef) to good use?....hahaha! :D  And one of the latest trends is for the sauce to be smeared (which I didn't do a very good job of) and for the food to occupy just one side of the plate! ;)

The juicy and slightly sweet scallops tasted great eaten with the rich and creamy salted egg yolk sauce.  The sauce may look a bit coarse and grainy but it tastes fantastic (+ I kinda appreciate a bit of texture in my sauce).  For better presentation, you may want to puree it for a smoother consistency.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the salted egg yolk sauce turned out...and how easy it was to make it. I'm already thinking of more dishes I can make with this sauce.

I noticed that the scallops developed a really nice crisp crust this time because of the light dredging of flour. It also didn't stick to the pan so I was able to get a nice sear and I could taste the lovely grilled flavour too.

Pairing it with a cheaper alternative of sugar snap peas works just as well.  They not only brought some colour to the dish but provided the crunchy element and fulfilled the necessary 'green' component of the dish as well.

Scallops are actually quite easy to prepare.  And you don't have to make a complicated sauce.  Simply seared in olive oil (and finished with some butter), it'll taste great with a squeeze of lemon.

One word.....yum!  Just look at that scallop (up close and personal).....can anything be more delectable?  I wonder if I'd be lucky enough to get more scallops in the future as a gift. Praying hard, fingers & toes crossed? ^_~

Serves 2 (as a starter) or 1 (as a light meal)