In 2011, the wild caviar trade came to a standstill. Sturgeon, the 200-million-year old species from which the delicacy is harvested, were in serious trouble. Overfishing of both the legal and illegal varieties had whittled their cold-water spawning grounds down to a fraction of their original territory. A global export quota ban was the only way to protect the Jurassic-era fish from going extinct.
Sustainable caviar pioneer Deborah Keane welcomed the news. Four years earlier, she had become the first on the planet to raise sturgeon commercially. It turned out she was ahead of the curve.
Now, more than a decade later, Keane is once again at caviar’s cutting edge. Traditionally, sacrificing the sturgeon is the only way to acquire caviar. “You stun them, kill them, bleed them out, then you extract the eggs surgically,” says Keane. The California Caviar Company (CCC) will be the first in the United States to harvest the eggs without harming the fish. Theirs will be the country’s first no-kill caviar.
CCC founder Deborah Keane pioneers some of the country's best caviar by working hands on in a vertical operation with her small, dedicated team in Sausalito.(Courtesy of California Caviar Company)
This process, the Kohler Process, so named for German biologist Dr. Angela Kohler, who invented and patented the no-kill method, uses gentle belly massage to harvest a fish’s caviar. The sturgeon is removed from the tank, placed next to it in a hammock and kept wet, breathing, and minimally stressed with water from a hose. “We insert a tube into the stomach which goes straight from there into a sterilized container,” says Keane, then “we massage the fish to get the eggs.”
It takes just five to 10 minutes and, when it’s over, the sturgeon is returned to the water unharmed.
Although the Kohler Process is new at the California Caviar Company, sustainability has been at its core since its early days. On the farm, they use what’s been called an “infinity loop model.” The water for the fish comes from a natural aquifer on the property, which is routed first to the sturgeon then to their resident bass, then on to the “filter fish” (catfish and carp). Rich with nutrients from the aquatic life, the water is next sent on to irrigate a neighbor’s cattle fields before being reabsorbed into the ground and replenishing the aquifers once again.
“We don’t have the EPA runoff [of some aquaculture operations],” says Keane. “Even during a drought, our aquifers never drop. In fact, they’ve grown three feet.”
In an extension of the loop, the caviar that is not destined to be sold through CCC’s website has its own local showcase. At The Bump Bar in Sausalito—which reopened this summer after a pandemic hiatus—chef Lance Dillard serves caviar tastings as well as decadent French-inspired, Japanese-style menus. And of course they sell the eggs by the tin.
Top restaurants including Bar Crenn and Carmel's Chez Noir (pictured here) rely on CCC for high-quality, eco-friendly caviar.(Joseph Weaver)
That vertical integration—from spawning to harvesting to serving—is highly unusual in caviar production, says Keane. Most farms do not process the caviar they grow; some farmers have never even tasted their own roe.
CCC’s careful stewardship of the fish, the farm, and the local community comes through the flavor and texture of the caviar. “Most companies will have one process and use it for every single fish. I’m a little like a winemaker, each batch you have to treat differently depending on how it presents. Each fish is different,” says Keane. “That is the key, the last factor to producing great caviar,” she confesses, but by no means the only one.
Excellent caviar depends on excellent conditions from start to finish: high-quality feed, clean water (muddy ecosystems and artificially recirculating tank water both really affect the taste), and stress-prevention can mean the difference between nasty, wimpy, flabby eggs and hearty, buttery-rich, salt-kissed eggs.
“We produce the best caviar because nobody touches [our sturgeon] between my [two to three person] team and my customer. I think that is what sets us apart.”
The no-kill process adds even more of a benefit. The eggs it produces are so well-formed that CCC's caviar is less perishable both on the shelf and after cracking the tin. “You can open and close it for months in your fridge without it falling apart,” says Keane.
It’s the role of The Bump Bar to demystify what’s long been considered an exclusive, luxury product and make eating and buying caviar more approachable. While the double pop-and-fizz combination of caviar and Champagne is a classic, The Bump Bar “shows people how to play with caviar, to experiment with caviar, how to cook or pair caviar with whatever dish, libation, alcohol, wine, spirit that is your favorite,” says Keane. “Can it go on pastas? Yes. Can it go on dessert? Yes. Integrate it with what you love.”
Most importantly, The Bump Bar and CCC teach guests that sustainable caviar from reliable sources actually tastes the best. And, as no-kill caviar becomes more common in the U.S. market, Keane expects consumers will find the delicacy even more accessible.
With “longer life for the sturgeon, longer life for the caviar (nearly three times more shelf life), and longer life for the consumer with its unlimited health benefits,” she says, “no-kill caviar is a game changer for the industry.”
// The Bump Bar is open for a la carte service and tastings (reservations or walk-in) 5pm to 9pm Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Only the tasting menu is served on Saturdays from 6:30pm to 10pm (reservations required at least 72hrs in advance); 1403 Bridgeway (Sausalito), californiacaviar.com.
The "queen of caviar" at the Bump Bar in Sausalito.(Courtesy of California Caviar Company)
