Salmon caviar

Salmon caviar

　　Brightly colored and highly nutritious, salmon caviar is made from salted eggs of mature salmon. A four-year-old female salmon can produce 3,500 to 5,000 eggs, each about the size of a soybean. These eggs are as vividly red and crystal-clear as red agate, rich in phosphates, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Every three eggs are equivalent in nutritional value to one chicken egg.

　　Salmon, also known as huāyú (花鱼), is mainly found in the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, including the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada, and China. It is an anadromous fish species—migrating from the ocean to freshwater rivers to spawn. Due to their life cycle of "being born in rivers, growing in the sea, and returning to their birthplace to die," they are often likened to patriotic overseas Chinese who yearn to return to their roots. In the 1950s and earlier, spawning salmon could still be occasionally spotted in China’s Suifenhe, Tumen, and the upper reaches of the Songhua and Heilongjiang rivers. By the 1980s, they had become rare in the middle reaches of the Songhua River and the Ussuri River. In recent years, they are found only in Fuyuan, the easternmost part of China. Moreover, the salmon roe produced in Fuyuan is known for its plump grains, perfectly timed maturity, vibrant color, and rich flavor—superior in quality to that of Japan and Russia. Not only is it in high demand domestically, but it also enjoys a stellar reputation in the European market.