Rich, salty, and surprisingly good for you in small amounts — here's how to use it well.
Red caviar is looking for a partner, and the best match is the simplest: a thin slice of fresh cucumber. A 20 g slice of cucumber with the same amount of caviar is only about 53 kcal, and the cucumber's potassium helps offset the salt. Half a hard-boiled egg or a little fresh cottage cheese works well too (~81 kcal).
Nutritionally it punches hard: roughly 252 kcal per 100 g, about 30% protein and 17% easily-absorbed fat, with almost no carbs. Treat it as a protein-rich garnish rather than something to spread thickly.
The classic bread-and-butter version is heavy — 100 g bread + 10 g butter + 20 g caviar comes to about 338 kcal. Swap the fresh bread for a dry crispbread and the same bite drops to around 85 kcal.
One tip on quality: good caviar looks like a row of tin soldiers — even, firm eggs that don't slide down the sides when you tilt the jar. It's salty and unprocessed, so it's best avoided if you have acute liver, gallbladder, or kidney issues.