Wild Salmon Roe

Ikura is a Russian word (Nkpa) which means ‘fish roe’ in general, and is widely used in international commerce, especially referring to salmon caviar.

Soy sauce marinated ikura are also available and growing in popularity.

Salted salmon eggs have a long history in Japan.

The book ‘Enkishiki’ printed in 927 describes how ikura and sujiko were appreciated and regarded as valuable products.

Grading

As the salmon prepares to spawn, the female’s eggs mature in the ovary, becoming larger and stronger as the salmon migrates from the ocean to the estuary and finally upriver to the spawning grounds.

For ikura production, the eggs are carefully selected from salmon captured just before entering the river system, when the eggs are fully formed, but are neither too soft nor too hard.

High grade salted ikura has a bright, red-orange color. All eggs should be whole, not broken or squashed, and easily separated from one another.

Definition

Salmon caviar is the salt cured individual eggs of salmon. Most wild Alaska salmon caviar comes from Pink and Chum salmon.

Sujiko is the whole salmon ovary, salted and cured. “Sujiko” is a Japanese term, composed of “suji”, which means “line” and refers to the way the eggs are lined up within the ovary and “-ko” means “son”.

• Product Name: Sujiko
• Local name: Akiko

Product variety

In Japanese, sujiko receives different names depending on the species from which it comes:

• Keta Salmon – Sakeko Larger Roe
• Sockeye Salmon – Beniko known for its bright red color
• Silver Salmon – Ginko
• King Salmon – Sukeko
• Pink salmon – Masuko roe are smaller and less consistent than keta roe

The high grade finished product has a bright orange red color, and the eggs are clearly arranged in lines. The surface should be strong yet soft.