15 December 2011

Caviar for Midwestern locavores

Available from Lake Superior, as explained in the StarTribune:
The roe sacs of [lake herring] hold rosy orange eggs which, when salted, become the Swedish delicacy known as löjrom, or herring caviar. The delicately textured roe may be the most local and economical caviar you've never tasted.

During the late autumn herring spawn, Dockside Fish Market, on the shores of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, processes about 60,000 pounds of herring roe into caviar. Most of that caviar is enjoyed beyond U.S. borders, with the vast majority of it exported to Scandinavian countries, where löjrom has long been a favorite...

Although there was a sharp decline in Lake Superior's herring population in the early 1970s, which lasted through the mid-'80s, its herring population is now strong. The caviar will continue to be a sustainable indulgence because of limits on the state's commercial fisherman licenses for Lake Superior's North Shore, as well as quotas, including one on roe harvest.

Brink agrees that herring caviar has a definite brininess. Because of that salty flavor, the caviar makes an excellent topping for baked potatoes. In Sweden, the caviar is often paired with baked potato wedges.

2 comments:

  1. This story reminded me of a video I can't seem to find anywhere. It was of a few soldiers dumping pounds and pounds of illegally obtained caviar into a pit in the ground. Seemed excessively wasteful.

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  2. Anon, type "caviar" into the search box in the right sidebar of this blog and you'll find the story that was posted at English Russia, with photos.

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