Caviar vs Salmon Roe vs Tobiko: What Australians Are Actually Buying

TL;DR: Caviar means sturgeon eggs. Salmon roe, tobiko and masago are other fish eggs. They are all edible, they are not the same product, and the price gap is the tell.

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People type "caviar" into a seafood search and mean four different things. In the trade, only one of them is caviar. The rest are roe. Knowing which is which stops you overpaying, and it stops you putting the wrong egg on sushi.

The five eggs, side by side

Name	Fish	Grain size	Texture	Typical Australian price band	Best use
Caviar (true)	Sturgeon (beluga, oscietra, sevruga)	2 to 4 mm	Soft pop, buttery	$150 to $400+ per 30 g	Tiny spoon, blini, crème fraîche
Salmon roe (ikura)	Salmon	4 to 6 mm	Big pop, oily, briny	$8 to $18 per 50 g	Sashimi garnish, donburi
Trout roe	Ocean or rainbow trout	3 to 4 mm	Similar to salmon, slightly milder	$6 to $14 per 50 g	Canapés, salads
Tobiko	Flying fish	0.5 to 0.8 mm	Crunchy, dry pop	$12 to $20 per 100 g	Sushi, poke, gunkan
Masago	Capelin	0.4 to 0.6 mm	Soft, pasty if overworked	$6 to $12 per 100 g	Cheap sushi topping

Caviar is sturgeon roe. That is the whole definition. Everything else is fish roe that can be excellent, and should be sold under its own name.

What Gold Coast shops actually sell

Most Australian retail "caviar" is salmon roe or tobiko in a small jar. True sturgeon caviar exists here, usually imported, and the price makes it obvious.

At Tasman Star we stock tobiko for sushi and poke. Salmon roe appears on our sashimi platters when the catch and the cure are right. Sturgeon caviar is a special order: ask, do not assume it is in the cabinet.

How to tell them apart without a label

• Size. If the egg is the size of a small pea, it is salmon or trout. If it is a pinhead, it is tobiko or masago.
• Crunch. Tobiko stays crisp. Masago goes pasty on warm rice.
• Oil. Salmon roe leaves a clean oil on the tongue. Sturgeon caviar is more buttery than oily.
• Colour. Natural tobiko is orange red. Neon green, black or gold tobiko is dyed. Dye is normal, not a fault, as long as the shop says so.

How much to buy

For a canapé night, 50 g of salmon roe covers 6 people if you are spooning it onto blinis. Tobiko stretches further because you use a teaspoon, not a mound. True caviar is 30 g for 2 or 3, served cold on mother of pearl or plastic, never silver, which taints the flavour.

Keep opened roe at 0 to 2°C and finish it within 3 days. Do not freeze tobiko that has already been thawed.

Father's Day note

Roe is a garnish, not a feast. If you are building Dad a spread this Sunday 6 September, put tobiko on sushi or a sashimi board, and spend the rest of the money on prawns and bugs. Spend $200 or more, online or in store, and you get a free Tasman Star cap or singlet while stocks last. Father's Day packs.