May 2006

Reputation and mystique helped the Russians make their name in caviar. But Minnesota's increasingly popular Lake Superior herring may be poised for a 1980 Olympic hockey-style upset. Dockside Fish Market in Grand Marais began processing lake herring caviar in 2003, selling some of it locally but freezing and shipping most of the tiny, bright orange eggs to Scandinavia. While the roe looks a lot like the sushi topping tobiko, it has a creamy texture instead of a crunchy bite. With the roe priced at about $3 an ounce, one employee of Coastal Seafoods in Minneapolis calls it his "favorite caviar that costs less than $200."