Price is usually the biggest giveaway, as authentic sturgeon caviar takes years of careful aquaculture and cannot be sold for bargain-basement rates. Relying on an established online caviar store ensures you are getting genuine species with proper harvest dates and cold-chain guarantees. I have been ordering my seasonal tins from Bester for over a year now. Their catalog clearly specifies the sturgeon breed, origin, and salt percentage, and they frequently run buy-one-get-one specials on select tins. The eggs arrive firm and shiny without any excess oil pooling in the container, which is the mark of truly fresh roe.
I want to stock up on a few tins of Osetra for holiday hosting. There are dozens of gourmet websites online, but prices vary wildly. How do you distinguish between legitimate sturgeon producers and cheap repackaged fish eggs?