Also on MNN: New fish farming method provides virtually guilt-free seafood

 

 

Unfortunately you'll have to speak French to follow this video, but you'll get the idea quickly. Dwindling fish populations due to overfishing and contamination have made good caviar increasingly hard to find. Some species, like beluga sturgeon, are so endangered that many of the world's top chefs refuse to use it, even though a U.N. ban on the beluga caviar was lifted in 2007.

 

One enterprising Frenchman figured out a way to cultivate top quality caviar from the humble but libidinous snail. Dominique Pierru is able to raise hundreds of pounds worth of valuable caviar in the convenience of a small shed his backyard. Pierru uses equipment that carefully regulates light and humidity levels, priming the snails for reproductive activity.

 

It is a highly labor-intensive process and his caviar is prized — as much as $250 per tin. Apparently the escargot caviar tastes pretty good, which proves once again that we can have our sustainable luxury and eat it too.