Caviar Tin Sizes: Choose the Right Pack and Avoid Leftovers

By Alex Beleaev | Beleaev Caviar & Gourmet, London

Choose a caviar tin from the grams your menu needs, then compare complete packs, prices and the opening sequence. A 20g tin covers four 5g tastes; a second equal round needs another 20g. Larger tins are useful when their quantity fits the service, rather than simply because the gathering sounds large.

This guide compares the named Beleaev formats checked on 12 October 2026, including the unavailable Beluga XXL 20g option and the separate 200g/500g salmon-roe packs. The serving amounts are stated planning inputs. They do not prescribe an ideal portion or promise a finished canapé yield.

Which caviar tin sizes are currently available?

A variant can exist in the catalogue while being unavailable for purchase. The XXL 20g option is therefore excluded from basket examples that need an available tin. An Almaz 20g tin, by contrast, was available: the 30g format is not its smallest current purchase.

Salmon roe is a separate fish-roe product, checked in 200g and 500g packs. Bottarga is a cured grey-mullet roe piece of approximately 90g. Do not apply the 20g-to-1kg sturgeon ladder or its serving assumptions to those products.

Keep required, bought and remaining grams separate

1. Required grams = guests × grams per taste × number of tastes of that product.
2. Bought grams = the sum of the net weights of all complete packs ordered.
3. Remainder = bought grams − required grams.

For six guests receiving 5g Baeri and 5g Oscietra, the menu needs 30g of each product. It does not need 60g of each. For six people receiving two 5g rounds of Baeri, it needs 60g Baeri. State which product appears in each round before selecting tins.

If you deliberately allow for service loss or extra portions, add that quantity separately. Do not treat every unused gram as necessary contingency. A percentage allowance needs a reason in the actual service rather than becoming a universal rule.

20g vs 30g vs 50g: controlled small services

For Baeri, 40g bought as two 20g tins costs £54 at this check; one 50g tin costs £63 and leaves 10g after the same service. For Oscietra Royal, two 20g tins cost £76 against £78 for one 50g tin, again leaving 10g in the larger-tin plan. These basket differences are not explained by “bigger is always cheaper”.

If the menu specifically requires 20g XXL, its unavailable 20g variant cannot cover it. The available 30g tin at £131 buys 10g extra. If the requirement is 50g, one 50g tin at £218 is exact; two 30g tins cost £262 and buy 60g. Use the actual selectable format instead of silently rounding the served grams up to the bought grams.

50g vs 125g: find the useful threshold

At 100g required, two 50g tins cover the menu exactly. At 120g, one 125g tin leaves only 5g; three 50g tins buy 150g and leave 30g. The requirement changes which comparison is useful. A guest count alone cannot select the pack without the per-guest allocation.

For Almaz, seven planned 15g servings need 105g. One 125g tin leaves 20g; three 50g tins leave 45g, while two 50g tins are 5g short. For a 48g plan across four 12g portions, a 50g tin leaves 2g. These are weight comparisons; use the current prices below and the intended opening sequence for the final choice.

Do not automatically buy 125g for any requirement above 50g. A combination such as 50g plus 30g covers 80g exactly. Compare practical combinations that meet the actual quantity, especially where an opened remainder would be difficult to use under the label.

125g vs 250g: one table or separate service waves?

One 250g tin and two 125g tins both buy 250g. For twelve 20g portions, both leave 10g. For nine 25g portions, both leave 25g. The weight is identical; the price and sequence may differ.

Two tins allow the second to remain sealed until needed at another table or course. One tin gives a single presentation. This guide does not claim that a large tin necessarily holds temperature better or tastes fresher than several small tins: there is no measured comparison here. Use suitable chilled handling for the named product in either format.

At this check, two 125g Oscietra Royal tins and one 250g tin both cost £390. Two 125g Baeri tins cost £314 against £315 for 250g. Two 125g Golden Oscietra tins cost £400 against £394 for 250g. Equal purchased weight does not guarantee equal basket cost, even within the same range.

250g vs 1kg: count the large service

A kilogram is 1,000g. It covers forty planned 25g portions, fifty 20g portions, one hundred 10g tastes or two hundred 5g garnishes. These allocations describe arithmetic, not a recommendation that every event needs one kilogram.

If the requirement is 500g, two 250g tins match it exactly; at 750g, three do. For twenty-eight 25g portions, 700g is required: three 250g tins buy 750g and leave 50g, while one kilogram leaves 300g. Compare the whole purchase and service sequence before accepting that extra remainder.

Price still matters. Four 250g Baeri tins cost £1,260 against £1,220 for one kilogram at this check. Four 250g Imperial Gold tins cost £1,708 against £1,710 for one kilogram. The larger tin is not universally the lowest unit-cost option. Several sealed tins may also better match separate rooms or courses.

Current catalogue prices by available format

Prices are the checked catalogue values for these named formats, not a guaranteed final checkout total. Confirm the current page, any chosen offer, delivery and the actual basket. For a wider buying comparison, see the UK caviar price guide.

Salmon roe: 200g vs 500g

The checked Wild Salmon XXL Roe packs were £72 for 200g and £180 for 500g. Both equal £0.36 per stated gram. The larger pack therefore had no catalogue unit-price advantage at this check.

For 350g required, two 200g packs cost £144, buy 400g and leave 50g. One 500g pack costs £180 and leaves 150g. Decide the amount that fits your actual base and include the number of canapé bases or bowls as separate shopping lines. Do not assume they are included with the roe.

A mixed menu can use 200g salmon roe for ten 20g bowl toppings and 30g Baeri for ten separate 3g tastes. The purchase is 230g across two ingredients and services, with £109 catalogue spend for those packs at this check. One 250g Baeri tin at £315 is a different ingredient plan, not a like-for-like 230g replacement.

Bottarga: approximately 90g is a whole cured piece

The checked Bottarga, ≈90g pack was £19 for approximately 90g. This is a cured mullet-roe piece, not a tin of loose caviar pearls. Budget from the edible amount shaved or grated into the dish and check the received weight if exact yield matters.

For a menu using 30g edible shavings, buy the whole piece and plan the remaining portion under its own label. Do not claim a guaranteed number of plates from the nominal 90g weight, or copy the caviar opened-life rule onto a dried roe product.

Storage instructions change the sensible pack choice

The current Royal Baeri and Oscietra Royal pages state refrigeration at 0–5°C for sealed tins and consumption within 24 hours after opening. Beluga Reserve's current page instead states 0–4°C sealed and consumption within 72 hours after opening. These are named product-page instructions, not a universal rule for all caviar. Follow the received label and its date where more specific.

The current salmon-roe description does not provide enough handling detail to infer a defrosting or opened-life allowance here. Use its received pack. Bottarga has separate instructions for a cured piece. Prepared food and any dairy accompaniment also have their own requirements; the unopened tin date does not define the holding period of an assembled dish.

Plan which sealed pack opens in each service wave, keep chilled items under their instructions and make a deliberate plan for any remainder. A smell or appearance check cannot extend a use-by date. Official date guidance explains the difference between safety and quality dates.

Your final pack checklist

1. Identify the exact product and service role.
2. Calculate all guests, tastes and grams of that product.
3. Exclude currently unavailable formats.
4. Compare whole-pack combinations, purchase cost and remainder.
5. Choose a practical opening sequence.
6. Check the received label, date and storage instructions.
7. Confirm the final delivery and basket at checkout.

For the initial guest-allocation calculation, use the caviar portion planner. This pack guide starts once that required amount is known.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 20g tin enough for four guests?

It covers one 5g taste each. Two equal rounds for four guests need 40g. The allocation is a planning example, not a universal serving rule.

Is every 20g caviar option available?

At the 12 October 2026 check, the listed Beluga XXL 20g variant was unavailable. Other named sturgeon products in this guide had available 20g formats. Confirm the current page before ordering.

Should I buy one 250g tin or two 125g tins?

Both buy 250g. Compare the current basket price and opening sequence. Two tins allow one to stay sealed for a later service; this guide makes no measured temperature-performance claim for either format.

When does a 1kg tin make sense?

Use a quantified menu. Forty 25g portions, fifty 20g portions or one hundred 10g portions total 1,000g. A smaller requirement may leave less remainder with several smaller tins.

Does a larger tin always cost less per gram?

No. Divide the current price by the stated net grams for each format, then compare the cost of the whole packs needed. Unused grams and opening sequence also matter.

Do salmon roe and bottarga use the same small tin sizes?

The checked salmon roe formats were 200g and 500g; bottarga was approximately 90g as a cured piece. Their serving roles, portions and handling differ from the sturgeon tins.

Can I assume opened caviar lasts 72 hours?

No. Follow the named product's page and received label, including the date, storage and opened-life instructions. The current Baeri and Oscietra pages state 24 hours after opening, while Beluga Reserve states 72 hours; do not transfer one rule to another product.

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