Hackleback

American Hackleback Caviar profile

(Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus)

• Wild-caught
• USA, Mississippi and Ohio
• Rich charcoal black colored pearls with hints of seaweed beads
• Velvety, small to medium sized
• Sweet ocean flavor, hints of nut
• Smooth, buttery finish
• Great served alone on a mother of pearl spoon or on a blini with crème fraiche
• Drinks: brut champagne or dry white wine

Suggested use: Its small, black beads are pleasant to the palate, have a mild flavor with hints of sweetness, and meet caviar explorers’ expectations. This is a great option for first-timers. Its low price, slightly more than paddlefish, excellent quality, and delicious taste are both surprising and impressive.

However, due to its scarcity, Hackleback caviar is generally not recommended for commercial use, but it can be suggested for smaller events such as private birthday parties, family holiday dinners, and so on.

Hackleback caviar is one of the most common caviars in the United States. It could be a great option for a restaurant or caviar bar as a menu item, served as a separate dish or added to hors d’oeuvres or appetizers.

Note: American wild sturgeon caviar is another name for hackleback caviar.

American Hackleback Caviar

American Hackleback is a popular choice among those who seek less expensive alternative to Caspian Sea caviars such as Sevruga and Osetra. The American Hackleback sturgeon, also known as the Shovelnose, Sand Sturgeon, and Switchtail, is the source of this domestic caviar. The price of caviar is naturally influenced by the species’ origin.

For many years, hackleback sturgeon caviar has been well-known and highly rated. It has even been successfully exported to Europe and Asia over the last century and a half. The modern height of its popularity, however, stems from a ban on the import of Caspian sturgeon caviar, which was implemented to counteract overexploitation of the Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga sturgeons, resulting in a shortage of stock and a rise in caviar prices. It has proved fortuitous that Hackleback sturgeon caviar is very similar to Sevruga caviar and has the same nutty flavor. Because Hackleback caviar is sourced locally, its prices are nowhere near those of Sevruga and Osetra.
Because of its low price, Hackleback caviar is a popular and wallet friendly alternative to more expensive caviar, making it ideal for large cocktail parties. It is frequently marketed as “Russian Style Caviar,” which means that it is processed according to “Malossol” standards, that include using only a small amount of pure sea salt. Bowfin caviar is another type of American caviar.

About the Hackleback

The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus) is another name for the hackleback (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus). The smallest freshwater sturgeon native to the United States is the Hackleback. It is protected by CITES and is listed as a “vulnerable” species on the IUCN Red List. This sturgeon is just 39 to 42.5 inches long and weights about 11 lbs (can also reach up to 14lb). The life span in a wild is 40 years. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of seven, and males at the age of five. Every year, adult fish spawn. The spawning season lasts from April to early July. The Missouri and Mississippi River systems are home to the hackleback. Hackleback feeds on aquatic insect larvae such as mayflies, caddis, and midges.

Hackleback is one of only a few wild species of fish open to commercial fishing in the United States, and the only sturgeon. The Hackleback sturgeon’s main populations are found in the Missouri and Mississippi River systems. The short four-year maturity period of the females, the lack of long-distance migrations during its spawning period, and the absence of dams cutting off its traditional spawning routes are all factors in its abundance in the wild.

When compared to its Caspian relatives, the Hackleback sturgeon is the smallest of the sturgeons. The largest recorded specimen was 1 m long and weighed about 4.5 kg, while an adult fish measures 50-85 cm and weighs 2.5 kg. The Hackleback lacks scales, (regrettably excluding it from a Kosher diet under Kashrut restrictions) and instead has rows of bony scutes along its sides. It gets its common name, Shovelhead, from its snout, which has a distinct shovel-like shape. This design feature helps the fish in their search for crustaceans to eat in the river sediment. Another feature that has earned the Hackleback the nickname “Switchtail” is a long, thin filament on the upper lobe of its tail fin.