The Most Elegant Snack -- There's Nothing Like Caviar, And You Don't Have To Break To Bank To Enjoy

WHAT CONJURES THOUGHTS of celebration - not to mention status, wealth, elegance and luxury - more than caviar?

Even now I can easily relive an experience years ago when I was a line cook:

The chef comes up from the storeroom with a box of Belgian endive. He calls me over and opens the box. There, tucked in with the perfect white heads, are a half-dozen miniature black jars. He tells me to ice them down, that we'll all have a little treat after the dinner rush.

I was excited. My first taste of beluga caviar! It was no disappointment. We piled little spoonfuls on dainty toast points and gave them a quick shot from a lemon wedge. I reverently took a bite. The tiny, salty eggs burst against the roof of my mouth, an explosion of caviar ecstasy. From then on I was spoiled.

Traveling through Paris by myself a few years ago, I was ready for some fabulous French culinary adventures. But trying to get into most of the "cool" places alone was difficult - except for the dinner that saved my trip.

It was at Caviar Kaspia in the Madeleine neighborhood.

When I entered up the long stairs, I stepped into a spectacular little restaurant almost from out of this time. The maitre d' and waiters were charming and attentive. They could tell I was a tourist but still gave me a wonderful table. The menu was simple: caviar and smoked salmon by the ounce. I ordered an ounce of beluga and a little frozen pitcher of iced vodka, just like the older,

oh-so-sophisticated Parisian ladies at the table across from me. The service, the atmosphere, and oh, the caviar! It's a wonderful food memory I can taste to this day.

But that doesn't mean I don't like many of the other caviars on the market today.

Crunchy, fluorescent-orange flying-fish roe, called tobiko, shows up in California rolls and is creatively used by many chefs to decorate their fusion dishes - sprinkled on seared ginger scallops, for instance. Wasabi-spiked tobiko, flavored and tinted by the Japanese green horseradish, adds a super-spicy kick to dishes. I love this one scattered on smoked salmon.

If you like caviar, you don't have to mortgage the house to have some from time to time. These days there are caviars to fit every budget.

Caviars such as whitefish, commonly known as American golden; salmon, or ikura, with its large orange eggs and clean natural flavor; and Yellowstone River paddlefish, colored light to steel gray, are excellent to try in a caviar tasting, with their reasonable prices and unique colors, sizes, and textures.

Most prized and expensive are the Russian sturgeon caviars from the Caspian Sea. The beluga sturgeon is the rarest and the female must be 18 to 20 years old before she produces her eggs, golden-gray, translucent "berries."

Less expensive is caviar from the osetra sturgeon. These females reach maturity between 12 and 15 years. Least expensive and most abundant of the Russian sturgeon caviars is the sevruga. This fish matures in seven years and has the smallest eggs of the three.

Although Russian sturgeon are famous the world over, there are two species of these prehistoric-looking fish here in the Pacific Northwest. Every summer there is a small amount of Columbia River sturgeon caviar available - very comparable to beluga in my mind. Try to get your hands on some in season for a real treat.

Sturgeon caviar is best served very simply. Some like to eat it straight from a spoon. Make sure that spoon is not silver, for it will give the caviar a metallic taste. The ultimate connoisseur uses a traditional mother-of-pearl spoon. If you're a little short of these, however, you might - as some limited-budget connoisseurs do - use plastic, ice-cream-tasting spoons . . . but oh, how gauche, darling! I often use a pair of smooth, lacquered chopsticks as a more couth alternative.

Traditional accompaniments for the "correct" caviar service are toast points, plain or swiped with unsalted sweet butter, and perhaps a drizzle of creme fraiche and a few droplets of fresh lemon juice. The favored beverages to sip with caviar are crisp and cold - frozen vodka or dry champagne.

Less rigid caviar eaters enjoy topping tiny, warm buckwheat blinis (small, thin pancakes) or cooked baby potatoes. For a different twist on the topped potato, I like caviar on little puffy potato pancakes with a dollop of shallot-chive sour cream. Other condiments shunned by connoisseurs but enjoyed by many are sieved egg yolks, finely chopped egg whites and minced onion or fresh-snipped chives.

Caviar need not cost a fortune nor be served ritualistically to be enjoyed. A little can go a long way. Less expensive sevruga or paddlefish caviar is great for topping fresh-shucked, icy cold oysters or sprinkling over angel-hair pasta with creme fraiche, chives and lemon. One friend loves caviar's cold contrast dolloped on a big bowl of hot, buttered sweet corn.

To me it is almost the mood, surroundings and who you are enjoying the caviar with that makes it so alluringly special.

For our 10th anniversary, a seafood-guru friend gave my husband and me 8 ounces - yes, one-half pound - of local, fresh green-sturgeon caviar. We ate it by candlelight, under a grape arbor at a stone table on a warm summer's eve. We toasted with a chilled bottle of La Grande Dame champagne. We ate great spoonfuls alone and on thin slices of rustic bread. I plucked chives from the nearby herb garden and we sprinkled them on. I pulled up a shallot and we slivered it on. It was soooo wonderful.

But try as we might we couldn't finish the jar, so we shared it with friends the next day. Some things are so rich - you just can't eat the whole thing!

(Copyright, 1996, Kathy Casey)

Chef Kathy Casey is a restaurant consultant and food writer. Her column, "Dishing," appears the first Wednesday of every month in the Seattle Times Food section. E.J. Armstrong is a Seattle photographer. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Caviar-Topped Puffy Potato Pancakes with Chive-Sour Cream (Makes 24 pancakes).

1 ounce high quality caviar.

Chive Sour Cream.

1/4 cup sour cream. 2 teaspoons finely minced shallots. 1 tablespoon thinly sliced, fresh chives.

3/4 teaspoon finely minced lemon zest.

Potato Pancakes.

1/4 pound baby red potatoes, about 3 to 4. 2 tablespoons milk. 1 large egg, separated.

1/4 cup sour cream. 6 tablespoons flour.

1/2 teaspoon baking powder. heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt.

1/8 teaspoon black pepper. 4 tablespoons butter, melted. Salad oil as needed.

1. Be sure to chill caviar so it is very cold before serving. One idea: Place the unopened container in a plastic bag, then nestle in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator. 2. To make Chive Sour Cream: Combine in a small bowl the sour cream, shallots, chives and lemon zest. Refrigerate until needed. 3. To make and assemble the pancakes: Place potatoes in a small pot (do not peel!) and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until very tender. Cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the potatoes. Be sure not to boil potatoes (only simmer slowly) or they will break up and be waterlogged. 4. When potatoes are cooked, drain thoroughly; while still hot, mash well. Stir milk into potatoes. Set aside. 5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sour cream together. Stir in the potato mixture. Sprinkle in the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper and stir in only until incorporated. Stir in the melted butter. 6. Just before you are ready to cook the pancakes, whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold half of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining half. 7. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Drizzle in a little salad oil, then rub around with a couple of folded paper towels, seasoning pan well with oil and picking up any extra oil. Spoon batter by the tablespoonful into pan. Cook the first side until golden brown, then turn and cook until golden brown on the other side. Cook in batches while keeping pancakes warm on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. 8. To serve: Top each pancake with a small dollop (about 1/2 teaspoon) of the Chive Sour Cream and a small dollop ( 1/4 teaspoon) of caviar. Serve immediately. Chef's notes: I like to have two pans going at once. As soon as the first batch of pancakes is done, I garnish them quickly on a tray, passing to guests immediately so the pancakes are hot and puffy - a perfect contrast with the cold caviar and creamy sour cream.

One ounce of caviar will be about 1/4 teaspoon per pancake. You may want to increase the amount of caviar for this recipe if you are feeling decadent. I like to use 1/4 teaspoon of American golden caviar and 1/4 teaspoon of osetra or sevruga on each pancake for a great color contrast.

This recipe is easily doubled for a large party. These caviar pancakes are a great item to pass from a tray at a party. Or place two or three on small plates for a lovely sit-down-dinner first course.

This recipe uses butter; you could cut down the fat a bit and use nonfat sour cream and skim milk.

(Copyright, 1996, by Kathy Casey) ----------------------------------------------------------------- A caviar sampler

What are the distinctive characteristics of the different caviars? Here are notes and comments from a tasting we conducted.

The Russian sturgeon caviars

Beluga: Biggest eggs. Dark gray. Fruity rich flavor.

Osetra: Our favorite of the higher priced caviars. Medium-size brown eggs. Smooth and fruity flavor. We liked it plain on thinly toasted bread.

Sevruga: Smallest eggs. Stronger flavor than others.

Other caviars

Montana River Paddlefish: Small gray eggs. Looks like sevruga. Big flavor; less refined than Russian.

Montana Golden Whitefish: Our favorite of the inexpensive caviars. Small, firm, golden eggs. Good pop, clean flavor.

Chum Salmon Ikura: Big orange eggs. Big burst in the mouth. Clean salmon flavor. Beautiful as a garnish; accessorizes well (lemon, wasabi, creme fraiche).

Flying Fish Roe (Tobiko): Tiny, tiny eggs. Bright orange. Super crunch you can hear. Sweet flavor.

Wasabi Tobiko: Colored and flavored with Japanese horseradish. Brilliant lime-green color. Zippy hot. Great with a tiny bit of minced, fresh ginger.

Caribbean Caviar: Tobiko with spicy habanero-chili flavoring. Bright orange.

Where to find it

Some sources of caviar:

Seattle Caviar Co., 3147 Fairview Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102. (206) 323-3005. Great source for Northwest fresh caviar. Montana Golden Whitefish Caviar is our favorite. Also carries Russian caviars.

Carolyn Collins Caviar, 925 W. Jackson Blvd., 3rd floor, Chicago, IL 60607, (800) 226-0342. Specializes in caviar made from American freshwater fish. Also has eclectic flavored caviars such as fresh ginger-infused whitefish caviar and smoked caviars.

Caviar Direct, (800) 650-2828. Fresh Russian caviar, American sturgeon, salmon and golden caviars shipped anywhere in the U.S.