Your Easter-season egg hunt just got more interesting.
South Florida-based Marky’s Caviar has debuted a special package of ultra-rare Grade 000 beluga caviar, which goes for $1,000 an ounce and comes in a custom wood box inspired by luxury jewelry display cases.
The caviar is from beluga sturgeon raised by Marky’s and sister entity Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom, northwest of Tallahassee. Marky’s is the only legal purveyor of beluga caviar in the United States.
The importation, distribution and sale of purebred beluga, also known as Huso huso, were banned in the United States by the Fish & Wildlife Service in 2005. But Marky’s co-owner Mark Zaslavsky began importing live beluga and other sturgeon in 2003 and was granted an exception to the ruling.
It takes 10 to 15 years for beluga to begin producing eggs, and Grade 000 is the highest quality rating on the caviar scale.
Marky’s Grade 000 malossol caviar, a designation used for top-quality flavor and freshness, consists of “extra large, firm, light gray pearls” that have “an exquisitely buttery, creamy, nutty taste.”
A 1-ounce tin of this caviar in its display case costs $1,020. The case, lined in vegan leather, also contains two mother-of-pearl spoons, a small mother-of-pearl plate, a gold-plated tin opener and a certificate of authenticity. It can be ordered and shipped overnight at Markys.com.
The tin also comes in other sizes: 1.75 ounces ($2,000), 3.5 ounces ($3,200) and 8.8 ounces ($7,995).
Marky’s Caviar, which got its start about 40 years ago as Marky’s Gourmet Market in Miami, has its showcase property at Marky’s Caviar Lounge at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Marky’s also does caviar service at Makino Sushi Bar and Caviar & More, both in Aventura Mall.
There are also four New York properties: Marky’s Caviar Grand Central, Marky’s Madison, Marky’s Avenue X in Brooklyn and the Manhattan restaurant Hūso. “Top Chef” winner Buddha Lo is executive chef at Hūso and Marky’s Caviar Lounge at the Hard Rock.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.