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.