Caviar

Caviar Russe proudly serves the exacting standards of the world's most demanding connoisseurs, offering a curated selection of the finest first-quality caviar. We specialize in Osetra, alongside Sevruga, Sterlet, Siberian, and Pacific sturgeon. Every tin is chosen directly from each harvest, sustainably sourced, and hand-packed fresh from large-format original tins.

To complete the experience, Caviar Russe presents a focused selection of artisanal gourmet foods — smoked salmon, duck foie gras, and truffles prepared specially for the house — along with caviar-inspired gifts and mother-of-pearl serving pieces, spoons, and servers to mark any occasion.

Caviar Russe has two locations: 538 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, and 1441 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131.

Caviar is the roe of sturgeon, lightly salted in the traditional malossol method to draw out its flavor. Long prized as a delicacy, it's served as a garnish or a spread — a natural centerpiece for a celebration, or a quiet indulgence.

Traditionally, the term referred only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspian and Black Seas — the classic Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga. Today, caviar is farmed around the world and spans a wider range of sturgeon, including Sterlet, Siberian, and Pacific. The name is also used more broadly for the roe of other fish, such as salmon and trout.

Generally, roe encompasses all of the unfertilized eggs produced by any species of fish. However, only sturgeon produce roe that can be classified as caviar.

Nearly all caviar today is farmed rather than wild-caught, raised on sturgeon farms around the world. Across the US and Europe, the majority of caviar sold direct to consumers or served in restaurants is produced in China. Caviar Russe sells none of it, and sources no Chinese-produced caviar.

Farming doesn't erase differences in quality. What sets one caviar apart is the original sturgeon stock a farm breeds from. Much like the vines behind a fine wine, that source lineage shapes the final result. Caviar Russe's exclusive farm works only with pure Caspian Sea stock — bred directly from that original lineage, never second-hand.

Source shapes price, too. Chinese-produced caviar tends to be inexpensive, but the cost of fine caviar reflects two things: the years a farm must raise each sturgeon before it produces roe, and the quality of the final harvest.

Caviar reached Greek aristocratic tables as early as the 10th century, carried west by trade between the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Rus. Russians likely learned to cure fish eggs with salt from Greek traders working the Black Sea coast.

The industry itself took shape later, in Astrakhan, after the Mongol invasions. For centuries the trade stayed centered on the Caspian Sea, with Russia and Iran producing most of the world's supply. That Caspian lineage is still the standard fine caviar is measured against.

The classic three come from wild Caspian sturgeon: Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga. Farming has since widened the field, and the caviars commonly sold today also include Sterlet, Siberian, and Pacific sturgeon, as well as Kaluga.

Caviar Russe specializes in Osetra — from Classic through the rare Almas grades — alongside a select range of other sturgeon.

Kaluga is a large freshwater sturgeon native to the Amur River basin along the Russia–China border. Closely related to Beluga — and often called "river Beluga" — it produces large, glossy pearls with a smooth, buttery character. That makes it one of the closest alternatives to true Beluga. Today, Kaluga caviar is almost entirely farmed, primarily in China, often as a Kaluga–Amur hybrid. For that reason, it sits outside Caviar Russe's collection — we source exclusively from pure Caspian Sea stock and carry no Chinese-farmed caviar.