What is Lumpfish roe, a Caviar alternative?

Date: 23rd October, 2010

The eggs of a lumpfish are known as lumpfish roe. Lumpfish roe is often sold as a caviar alternative, although some caviar fans have complained that unscrupulous caviar packers try to pass lumpfish roe off as true sturgeon roe, the source of real caviar. Before being sent to market, lumpfish eggs are salted for preservation and then canned; they are typically lightly salted to maintain a clear flavor, and they may need to be refrigerated as a result. Many markets sell lumpfish roe, along with other caviar alternatives and a few jars of the real deal.

”Lumpfish” is a generic term for fish in the family Cyclopteridae. Lumpfish are not terribly attractive to look at, although they have evolved one interesting trait; their pelvic fins are sticky, which means that the fish can essentially velcro themselves to surfaces. Since lumpfish are bottom dwellers, this trait can be quite useful, anchoring the fish while it waits for food. Lumpfish spawn in shallow water, laying thousands of eggs in adhesive packets which will break open when the eggs are ready to hatch. Young lumpfish typically stay in shallow waters until they are fully developed, making them easy prey for predators.

Historically, lumpfish have been caught and consumed by native peoples in Scandinavia, near their North Atlantic habitat. In North America, the oily flesh of the lumpfish was largely disdained, with most fisheries treating the fish as a bycatch and canning the meat for dog food. When caviar prices began to climb in the 1960s, however, fisheries realized a new use for lumpfish, as a source of cheap roe which could ride on the coattails of the caviar craze.

While caviar snobs may look down their noses at eggs from lumpfish, lumpfish roe can be quite good when it is well handled. If the roe is treated carefully, it will have the distinctive poppy mouthfeel of caviar, with each egg bursting open in response to gentle pressure from the teeth. Lightly salted lumpfish roe can be used like caviar to accompany various appetizers, and it can also be added to pasta sauces and spreads as well as dishes like omelettes.

Lumpfish roe comes in a range of colors in nature; most of the roe sold commercially is dyed to be either red or black. If you can find naturally colored lumpfish roe, it can make an unusual appetizer, as female lumpfish develop a rainbow of colors in their eggs. Poorly handled lumpfish roe, just like poorly handled sturgeon eggs, can be truly atrocious. If you purchase lumpfish roe which is oily or fishy, return it and demand a refund.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-lumpfish-roe.htm

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices. Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world. As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years. Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.