He thinks the quality is as good as that of the Russian Sevruga, the least expensive of the three Russian grades. At the Irvine Ranch Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, salesman Jeff Bellenand said sales of the bayou product are good but could be better. Nancy Hendrickson, Burke's Los Angeles-area distributor, said her biggest problem is educating customers. When they taste this, though, they change their minds. Response from retailers has been mixed, Hendrickson said.
Some retailers are very enthusiastic.
Others want to see more demand. The several dozen commercial fishermen, who catch the fish with large gill nets, are also waiting for increased demand. So far, it hasn't been a big money maker. It helps fill in the gap left when they banned fishing for redfish. Louisiana Caviar is currently the only licensed caviar marketer in the state, said Charles Conrad, administrator of the seafood sanitation section of the Department of Health and Hospitals.