Texas Chef Jason Ryczek Gets His Caviar Straight From the Source

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n 2015, when Jason Ryczek was executive chef at San Francisco’s Farallon, he was called out of the kitchen to meet a diner. Expecting a purveyor trying to sell him something, he was surprised to find Deborah Keane, founder of California Caviar Company, who was so impressed with his preparation of sturgeon that she invited him to join her lauded caviar program.

Known in the culinary world as the Caviar Queen, Keane began by teaching caviar classes before founding her own sustainable sturgeon farm in California’s Sacramento Delta. When she launched her invitation-only Caviar Camp, Ryczek was among the first chefs asked to participate. What began as a passing interest has turned into nearly a decade-long tradition of returning each year to hand-select the sturgeon that will define the caviar program at Little’s Oyster Bar in Houston where he now helms the kitchen.

“The first time I got into a tank with a sturgeon, it was a little frightening because they are huge,” Ryczek says. “It’s not about being bitten. They are so strong and flexible because their entire skeleton is made of cartilage. I’ve been lifted off my feet and pushed back down into the water by a sturgeon. When you come out of the tank, you’re definitely a little beaten up.”

While the farm-raised white sturgeon Ryczek is interacting with are between six and eight feet long, in the wild, the prehistoric fish, considered the largest freshwater species in North America, can grow to be more than 20 feet long.

“Anytime I can participate in a program that really stands for something, it is a big deal to me,” the chef adds. “This prehistoric animal is facing extinction, and caviar is what is paying for the farms to raise them and restock the native areas where they are from.”

Each year, Ryczek selects his fish through a careful process but says there is no magic formula because “it all comes down to the roe.” Using a one-inch scalpel, he makes a small incision near the reproductive area and extracts a sample of roe with a straw. “Sturgeon are bottom feeders, so they have very little feeling on the bottom of the bel- lies,” he explains. “Once I have the roe, I clean it with water, look at the size and color. I pinch it to test the texture and then taste it.”

For Ryczek, the texture of the roe matters as much as taste: “I like when the fat coats your mouth, close to creamy, nutty butter. I like to say that the taste and smell should be reminis- cent of its native waters, like standing on a jetty and getting a face full of mist.”

Tasting the roe at Caviar Camp is an approximation of what the caviar will turn into nearly two months later once it arrives in Houston at Little’s Oyster Bar. While the curing process is top secret, Ryczek says that he strives for the lowest sodium content with the best texture. “I want to get the right cure so that the skin has the perfect burst, almost like you’re popping bubbles.”

For Ryczek, part of producing his own caviar is also about educating diners and sharing his process. His well-versed staff walks diners through the story of each selection.

While some chefs compare them- selves to artists, Ryczek considers himself a craftsman. He uses as much of the fish as possible, including filets, skin, and even marrow, building dishes that evolve with each year’s catch. “I try to think about the fish and where it is from, and how I can translate that on the menu,” he explains. “I try to be respectful of this creature while finding the flavors that come through.”