This is the caviar of socialism. It’s beautiful, tasty and elegant but a fraction of the price of sturgeon caviar.

The Fish

Lumpfish are unusual-looking inhabitants of the North Atlantic and adjacent seas. The roe of the fish is widely consumed in Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark.

How to eat

It makes a gorgeous garnish for cocktail canapés, blini or smørrebrød. It also fills the elite ranks of black coloured food.

You can serve it alongside your martini with nothing more than a little spoon. Take a little and lay it gently onto the back of your hand between your thumb and forefinger then eat it at your leisure.

Canapés

It also makes a beautiful garnish that can tie together lots of elements of a canapé.

Here it garnishes a mixture of egg mayonnaise and beetroot horseradish sauce on a miniature blini.

You can see it just hidden in the background of this martini photo, nestled in some miniature croustade shells.

This one was nice and simple. It’s just slices of radish, layered slightly over one another and topped with the roe. Eat them lifting the top slice each time so it doesn’t disrupt the layering.

Smørrebrød

It’s also beautiful when used to garnish smørrebrød open sandwiches, which themselves go very nicely with or just after a martini.

All in all, this is an affordable treat that can really elevate a canapé, starter and cocktail experience in general. Highly recommended!