Golden Pearls (Keta Caviar)

Chum Salmon Roe: Big Pearls, Clean Flavour

The large-pearl roe — noticeably bigger than trout roe, with a firmer membrane and a pop you can hear. Wild chum salmon gives the cleanest, least oily roe of any Pacific salmon, which is exactly why it is the one used for ikura in good sushi restaurants. Lightly salted, deep orange, and mild enough that the flavour is roe rather than brine.

How It's Made

• Wild-caught chum salmon. Chum is chosen over other Pacific salmon for roe specifically — the pearls are larger and the flavour cleaner.
• Separated by hand. The membrane is removed by hand rather than machine, which is what keeps the pearls whole and glossy.
• Lightly salted. A gentle cure that firms the pearls without overwhelming them. Heavy salting is what makes cheap roe taste sharp.
• Nothing added. No dyes, no preservatives. The colour is the roe's own.

How to Serve It

Cold, and always added last. Heat ruptures the pearls, so it goes onto a warm dish at the table, never in the pan.

• Ikura don. Warm rice, roe spooned over, a little soy. The dish this roe was made for.
• On blinis or buttered toast. Cold butter or crème fraîche underneath — the fat is what carries it.
• On eggs. Soft scrambled, or a halved boiled egg. Simple and hard to beat.
• Straight from a cold spoon. No bread, nothing else. This is how you taste what you paid for.

Chum Roe or Trout Roe?

We sell both, and they are genuinely different things rather than two grades of the same one.

• Chum salmon roe — this one. Large pearls, firm pop, clean and mild. The classic ikura. Choose it for sushi, rice bowls, or when you want the roe to be the event.
• Smoked trout roe. Medium pearls, softer, with beechwood smoke behind them. Choose it as a finishing touch on other food, or if smoke is what you are after.

Keeping It

Roe is the most perishable thing we sell. Keep it refrigerated at 32–38°F and eat within two to three days of opening. Do not freeze it — the pearls rupture on thawing and come back as paste. Use a clean, dry spoon; anything wet shortens its life sharply.

Common Questions

Is this caviar? Not strictly — true caviar is sturgeon. This is salmon roe, known in Japan as ikura, and it is judged on its own terms: pearl size, clarity, and a clean finish.

How salty is it? Mild. Lightly cured on purpose, which is also why it must be eaten quickly once opened.

Is it wild or farmed? Wild-caught chum salmon.

Can I use it for sushi at home? That is its most common use. Keep it cold until the moment it goes on the rice.