Salmon Roe vs Caviar: What's The Difference?

Are you wondering what the difference is between salmon roe vs caviar? If you are hosting a special occasion and want to cause a stir, serving caviar is a no-brainer. But when prices are sky-high, is it the only option? In this guide to salmon roe vs caviar, I go through how salmon roe compares to caviar, the difference in taste, and how to serve both specialties for maximum impact.

Even a small scoop of caviar garnish or fish roe on a dish or canape adds immense gravitas and visual impact. Not to mention the delicious taste and unique texture! But when you're catering to a crowd, it can become expensive. When debating salmon roe vs caviar, it's important to keep in mind the cost and availability. But also to know what the key differences are.

What is caviar?

Traditionally speaking, the word caviar describes a gourmet food made of salt-cured eggs from the wild sturgeon fish that is native to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. There are several different varieties, but it has a signature subtle yet complex taste, unique texture, and rich finish and has long been associated with fine dining and a luxury lifestyle.

Is salmon roe caviar?

Other fish roe (like salmon roe) can technically be referred to as caviar as long as it is prefaced by the fish to denote the difference, e.g., salmon caviar, trout caviar, lumpfish caviar, or hackleback caviar.

What are the types of caviar?

There are 6 main types of caviar, all from the species of sturgeon fish. They are Beluga, Sterlet, Kaluga, Ossetra, Siberian sturgeon, and Sevruga. The rarest and most expensive type of caviar is Beluga, from the critically endangered Huso Huso sturgeon fish from the Caspian Sea or Black Seas. These enormous fish can live for up to 100 years if left undisturbed, but sadly, this is not the case. Due to the popularity of their eggs, they have been drastically overfished and poached to extremely low levels.

Other types of sturgeon fish roe or caviar have different tastes and characteristics and different levels of availability. Ossetra caviar is next in line to Beluga in terms of price and popularity, whilst Kaluga caviar (a freshwater fish often referred to as river beluga) is thought of as being closest in taste to Beluga.

What is the difference between caviar and salmon roe?

Here are the distinct differences between salmon roe and caviar.

1. The appearance: Salmon fish roe is an intensely beautiful and vibrant red, peach, or orange color with a pearlescent, slightly translucent appearance. They are larger than sturgeon caviar and almost look like jewels. Sturgeon roe caviar ranges in color from white, golden, or grey to green, brown, and deep glossy black.
2. The size: Whilst some varieties of caviar are larger than others, salmon roe is larger in comparison, ranging from around 5.6 mm to 8.3 mm in width. Sevruga caviar is the smallest (and it comes from the smallest type of sturgeon, too).
3. The taste: Both types of roe have a slightly salty taste and umami flavor, but salmon roe can have a slightly bitter taste and a less complex flavor profile. Caviar is more subtle and is often described as having complex and, at times, sweet flavor with almost nutty undertones.
4. The texture: Salmon roe is creamy in the mouth but with a slightly more slippery texture. Beluga caviar has a creamy texture and melts in the mouth like butter, whereas smaller Sevruga caviar crackles and pops in the mouth.
5. The cost: Whilst caviar ranges in cost and farmed varieties have helped make it more accessible than it used to be, it is still much more expensive than salmon roe caviar.

Why is caviar so expensive?

Caviar (in particular, Beluga caviar) is incredibly expensive as the Sturgeon were overfished for a long time and are still recovering so the population is low, and they have only recently been farmed and produced in other areas. And even if you have a female sturgeon fish, it might take up to 20 years for her to start producing eggs, and then you have to kill the fish to get the unfertilized internal egg masses. The cost of the caviar reflects this big investment.

This, coupled with high demand, drives the price of caviar to astronomical levels. The wild Beluga sturgeon, in particular, is so rare and protected that it is almost impossible to get hold of their sought-after eggs. Other types of sturgeon caviar (like Osetra caviar) are available and now also farmed around the world but can vary in price and are still very high-end gourmet items with a price tag to match.

What is more expensive, salmon roe or caviar?

Salmon roe is much lower in cost compared to caviar. For example, a 1oz jar of Atlantic salmon roe at Gourmet Food Store costs in the region of $12-13 compared with $160 for the same quantity of a Beluga and Siberian Sturgeon hybrid caviar (from Italy).

Even within types of roe, there are differences in price as there are different grades of caviar. Higher-grade caviar will come with a high price tag as all of the different types of caviar are priced in different ways.

The most high-quality caviar and most sought after (and therefore the most expensive caviar) is white caviar from Iranian albino beluga sturgeon harvested from fish between 60-100 years old. Caviar from the white sturgeon (also referred to as Almas caviar) is exceptionally creamy and velvety soft roe. But it can cost three times as much as black beluga sturgeon caviar!