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Salmon caviar is kind of a big deal here in the Pacific Northwest, home to a number of companies that salt-cure the red-orange eggs throughout the year. Ikura is the Japanese word for these eggs, which are larger than your typical roe and are often encountered atop sushi rolls.For caviar newbies, here’s a quick vocabulary lesson: Everyone knows what eggs are— female reproductive cells that, when fertilized, contain developing embryos. “Roe” is the broad term that refers to the eggs from any fish or shellfish. “Caviar” applies to fish eggs that are salt-cured for human consumption. Traditionally, and still in some parts of the world, only salt-cured roe from the Acipenseridae (sturgeon) and Polyodontidae (paddlefish) families are classified as “true” caviar. More recently, however, the word has come to encompass edible salt-cured roe from any fish, including salmon.All varieties of cured roe have unique textures and flavors. Salmon roe (ikura) has a soft pop when bitten into, whereas flying fish roe (tobiko) has an almost crunchy texture. “True” caviar, from sturgeon and paddlefish, is creamy and rich. You may have also heard salmon roe referred to as sujiko—they’re the same kind of egg, but sujiko is cured while still inside the large, clear egg sac, then served as a mass, whereas with ikura, the sac is removed and the eggs are served as individual little orbs.At ChefSteps, we use Ikura all the time—we love the subtle brine and textural intrigue it adds to just about any dish. Here, we stuff ikura inside wee cones formed from pickled beets and serve them in our <a href="/recipes/salmon-crudo">Salmon Crudo</a>. Use leftover roe to augment scrambled eggs, <a href="/recipes/chicken-tartare">chicken dishes</a>, <a href="/recipes/blini">blini</a>, and all sorts of <a href="/recipes/chicken-and-caviar-sauce">sauces</a>. Another idea for the beet cones: fill them with a <a href="/recipes/smoked-trout-puree">savory mousse</a> and a sprinkling of fresh herbs and present them as passed hors d’oeuvres at a party.