What color is caviar?

Caviar, also known as roe, comes in a variety of colors, including shades of red, orange, gray, brown and black, based on the species of fish and any additives. For example, Osetra is gray to brown, while trout caviar is orange.

Beluga caviar from the sturgeon consists of pea-sized eggs that are silver-gray to black with a black spot; Sevruga, another sturgeon variety, is small and grayish. Lumpfish caviar is a common tiny variety often dyed red or black. American caviar from the paddlefish is gray, while whitefish caviar is golden-yellow. Salmon produce larger roe that are deep red to light orange. Tarama, roe from carp, is also orange.