All sushi lovers are probably familiar with tobiko - soft, tiny bright-colored eggs that nicely crunch on their teeth. This caviar, extracted from flying fish, is often served as an independent dish, as well as in the form of sashimi or as an ingredient in rolls. However, the product, which is often called “tobiko” on the menu of inexpensive sushi bars or in supermarkets, is most likely caviar of a chaplain or masago. As a rule, people who are not related to sushi and are not fans of Japanese cuisine cannot distinguish one caviar from another, tobiko from masago.
Masago - what is it
In simple terms, this is the caviar of one of the varieties of capelin - chaplain fish. In large numbers, this fish lives off the coast of Iceland, however, it is also found on other coasts, in Arctic and Atlantic waters.
Chapel roe is salted and processed in the same way as traditional tobiko, but it is cheaper. If you live in a big city, you can buy it in large stores, in the seafood departments, along with other ingredients for sushi.
Masago caviar is very nutritious and has a high content of vitamins, protein and a large amount of omega-3 and omega-6 (fatty acids). Despite the fact that it contains a large amount of cholesterol, a small portion of this product will only benefit the body.
Tobiko and Masago - what is it and how to distinguish them from each other
So, now we know that under the exotic names hides the caviar of small ocean fish. After receiving the answer to the question: “Masago - what is it?”, According to the law of logic, the problem arises: “How to distinguish masago from tobiko?”. In fact, it is not so difficult.
Caviar of flying fish (tobiko) in its natural form differs from the well-known bright orange product, it is almost colorless, has a mild sweetish taste and, which is typical, crunches on the teeth when eaten. In turn, masago (chaplain caviar) has a light beige hue and very small, non-crispy eggs. Due to the dull color, both varieties almost always go on sale painted in different colors, most often in red or black. As a rule, natural ingredients are used as dyes - cuttlefish ink (to achieve black color), ginger juice (for a brighter orange hue) and so on. Separately, it is worth mentioning the product, known in Japanese stores and restaurants as wasabiko - this is the same caviar, but dyed with green wasabi powder. Both tobiko and masago are exposed to such processing. What, specifically, the type of caviar wasabi colored, can be understood both in appearance (the size of the eggs) and in the presence or absence of a characteristic crunch during meals. It goes without saying that wasabi caviar will have a very piquant taste.
Dishes from Masago and Tobiko
Both varieties of caviar are used for making sushi-gunkan as an independent filling, as well as for decorating rolls. Due to its finer texture, masago is also used for many Asian dishes - scrambled eggs, salads, sauces and so on, while the use of tobiko is somewhat limited. Often these products are combined in various dishes, as their structure and taste perfectly complement each other.
One of the most famous recipes is spicy masago sauce, which is prepared differently in different restaurants. The following products are used for its preparation at home: 1/4 teaspoon of Japanese mayonnaise (“Kyupi”), 1 teaspoon of caviar, 1/2 teaspoon of kimchi or shriracha sauce.
Summing up the above information, which serves as an answer to the question: “Masago - what is it?”, It would be useful to specify - this is capelin caviar, traditionally used in Japanese cuisine.