Caviar Pasta with Brown Butter and Chives

By Beleaev Family | Beleaev Caviar & Gourmet

For two plates, toss 160g of spaghetti through a brown-butter emulsion, take the pan off the heat and add the caviar only after plating. One 20g tin of Imperial Gold Special Reserve supplies 10g per person, while 50g of plain salted dairy butter builds the sauce.

• Serves: 2 as a main course
• Dried pasta: 80g per person
• Caviar: 10g per plate

Measured ingredients

The butter is already salted and the caviar contributes its own seasoning, so the water uses a restrained 4g of salt. Taste the pasta before adding anything else; no finishing salt is built into the method.

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Wide frying or sauté pan
• Tongs and heatproof spoon
• Heatproof jug for pasta water
• Fine grater, if using zest
• Digital scale and two shallow bowls

Method: brown, emulsify, then finish cold

1. Start the pasta. Bring 2 litres of water and 4g salt to the boil. Add 160g spaghetti and cook until it is still firm enough to finish in the sauce.
2. Brown the butter separately. Melt 50g salted butter in the wide pan over medium heat. Swirl until the milk solids turn hazelnut brown and smell nutty, then remove the pan from the heat so they do not blacken.
3. Reserve the starch. Before draining, scoop at least 120ml pasta water into the jug. Drain the spaghetti when it is about one minute short of the pack time.
4. Form the emulsion. Add the pasta to the butter pan with 60ml reserved water. Return to low heat and toss vigorously until the sauce clings. Add more water one tablespoon at a time if the strands look dry.
5. Stop the cooking. Take the pan off the heat and fold through the chives. Divide the spaghetti between two shallow bowls.
6. Add the caviar at the end. Place 10g Imperial Gold on each bowl. Add the optional lemon zest around the pasta rather than directly over the caviar.

Rescuing the sauce

If the butter solids are black, start again because the bitterness cannot be removed. If a pool of fat gathers in the pan, add one tablespoon of hot pasta water and toss until the sauce turns glossy. If the sauce becomes thin, keep tossing over low heat rather than adding more butter.

When the spaghetti is ready before the butter, drain it only after reserving water and keep it moving in the warm pan. Do not stir the caviar into the sauce during reheating; portion it over the finished plates.

Allergens and storage

This dish contains fish, milk and wheat, including gluten; dried pasta may also contain egg, depending on the brand. Check the exact pasta, butter and caviar labels. Store the unopened and unused product portions according to their packs. Serve the dressed pasta at once. Keep the caviar separate until service rather than reheating a finished caviar-topped plate.

Butter weight and cooking time

The 50g is the weight of the butter before browning. Water evaporates during cooking, so the finished brown butter weighs less; use the complete browned batch for the two plates rather than trying to recover 25g of cooked butter per person. The reserved pasta water turns it into a sauce and is not a fixed part of the final serving weight.

Cooking time depends on bringing the water to the boil, the pasta pack and the pan. Use the package timing and the butter's colour as guides rather than promising a twelve-minute total. Keep the pan off the heat once the milk solids are brown; if they turn black and bitter, replace the butter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Oscietra instead?

Yes. Replace the Imperial Gold with 20g Oscietra Royal for the same two 10g toppings. The sauce quantities stay unchanged. Choose the caviar for the flavour and budget you want, rather than a claim that one variety is compulsory.

Why does the sauce look oily?

Add a tablespoon of reserved pasta water and toss vigorously over low heat. The water and starch help the sauce coat the strands. Add gradually; pouring in all the reserved water at once can leave a thin sauce.

Do I need a precise cooling temperature before adding caviar?

This method does not depend on a fixed temperature or ninety-second wait. Finish the pasta first, take it off the heat, plate it and let the intense surface heat settle before adding the chilled topping. Do not cook the caviar in the sauce.

For another warm base finished after cooking, try celeriac purée with caviar and brown butter.

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