What is the texture like when eating caviar or fish roe?

The texture of caviar is one of its most distinctive features and usually one that is easier to explain than the taste.

In most instances, black caviar starts with a delicately firm texture that is transformed into a smooth and creamy, almost butter-like consistency, as it melts in your mouth. The larger eggs of older sturgeon can sometimes subtlety “pop” in your mouth, but never quite like red caviar.

The eggs of red caviar are larger than black caviar and usually very firm. Similar to a gelatin orb or flavor capsule, the red caviar eggs should burst with an audible “pop” between the tongue and roof of your mouth, releasing the lightly flavorful juice which was once protected by the outer shell.

However, the same factors that change the taste of the caviar can change the texture of the caviar as well. Besides the texture differences between species, if the roe is not processed/stored correctly or stored for too long, or if it comes from an unhealthy fish, then it can have a soft, mushy and undesirable texture. 

The texture of caviar is generally fairly easy to describe, but it can take a while to fully understand the differences between high and low quality texture for both red and black caviar. In order to truly grasp what qualifies as a good firm caviar you should experiment with a range of roes from various price points.