Sterlet, Russian
Acipenser ruthenus
Russian river system·Russia·Rare
The historic 'tsar's caviar' — Sterlet was so prized by the Russian imperial court that it was reserved exclusively for tsars for centuries. Small, delicate beads with a refined nuttiness. Now essentially a reference entry; Mottra's Latvian Sterlet is the accessible alternative.
Salinity2Butteriness3Nuttiness4Umami3Complexity4
Pop
medium
Finish
Nutty
Texture
delicate
Grain
small
Colour
dark grey
Blini service
Not recommended
Delicate; tasted plain where available. The low-salt traditional preparation is part of the experience.
Pairings
- Champagne
- Vintage Champagne
- Wine
- Dry Riesling
- Spirits
- Chilled vodka
Production
- Source
- farmed
- Producer
- Russian aquaculture
- Processing
- malossol
- Grade
- classic
Legal & sourcing
Not available in the United States. Russian-origin caviar is effectively unavailable in the US due to trade sanctions post-2022.
Not available in the EU. Russian-origin caviar is banned in the EU under 2022 Ukraine war sanctions.
CITES Appendix II — international trade requires documentation. Wild harvest is banned; all commercial product is farmed.
At a menu
Historic tsar's caviar from its homeland — reference only for US users.
Similar varieties