Caviar shelf life is something to be concerned about, especially if you get some of the more expensive varieties by the pound. It’s the time period that the best quality can be maintained without diminishing texture or flavor. Some caviar can be stored frozen for up to a year, and some others really should never be frozen at all, but should only be kept refrigerated. If you want to buy some caviar but are a little worried about caviar shelf life, here’s a list of the more popular varieties of caviar with their corresponding shelf life times…
This list assumes refrigerated storage in a temperature between 26-36 degrees F.
Beluga – 4-6 weeks
Osetra – 4-6 weeks
Sevruga (American) – 1 week
Sevruga (Russian) – 4-6 weeks
Transmontanus – 3 weeks
Sturgeon – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Paddlefish – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
American Black – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Bowfin – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Ikura (salmon roe) – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Trout – 1-2 weeks, can be frozen up to 3 months
Whitefish (black or golden) – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Golden Royal – 2-4 weeks, may be frozen
Tobiko (all types) – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Capelin roe (masago) – 1 week, can be frozen up to 1 year
Vegetarian (made from seaweed) – unopened, can be refrigerated indefinitely
Escargot – 3-4 months in unopened tins, 2-3 months if opened
Keeping these caviar shelf life times in mind, you can now know just how much caviar to order for how many people and for how long it will stay fresh. As expensive as some of this stuff can be, you definitely want to enjoy every bit of it to the fullest.
