Caviar sandwich: how much a spoon of caviar weighs and how many calories are in the sandwich
A level tablespoon of granular caviar weighs 16 g and has about 42 kcal; a level teaspoon about 5 g and 14 kcal. The classic Russian open sandwich — a slice of white loaf, a thin layer of butter and a heaped teaspoon of caviar — comes to about 115 kcal. Most of those calories come not from the caviar but from the bread and butter.
How much a spoon of caviar weighs
USDA FoodData Central has the SR Legacy entry 174188, "Fish, caviar, black and red, granular". A level tablespoon in it weighs 16 g. A teaspoon is a third of a tablespoon, about 5 g. A heaped spoon holds more: our red caviar weights and measures card takes a heaped teaspoon as 7 g.
| Measure | Weight | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Level teaspoon | about 5 g | 14 |
| Heaped teaspoon | about 7 g | 18 |
| Level tablespoon | 16 g | 42 |
| Jar | 100 g | 264 |
The calories in the table are based on the same USDA entry: 264 kcal, 24.6 g protein and 17.9 g fat per 100 g. The entry covers black and red caviar together. Salmon caviar labels can show a different figure, so for your jar use the number on the label: caviar weight × kcal per 100 g ÷ 100.
Calories in a caviar sandwich
The calculation uses three components.
- White loaf (baton). The Open Food Facts entry "Batony gorodskie", Sdobryanka, 300 g lists 240 kcal per 100 g. A slice is taken as 25 g.
- Borodinsky rye bread. The Open Food Facts entry "Khleb borodinsky", Smak lists 210 kcal per 100 g. A slice is taken as 30 g.
- Butter. USDA (SR Legacy 173410) gives 717 kcal per 100 g. A thin layer on a slice is taken as 5 g: the weight of one pat of butter in the same entry.
| Sandwich | Bread | Butter | Caviar | Total, kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White loaf, butter, heaped teaspoon | 60 | 36 | 18 | 114 |
| The same with twice the caviar (15 g) | 60 | 36 | 40 | 136 |
| White loaf without butter, heaped teaspoon | 60 | — | 18 | 78 |
| Borodinsky, butter, heaped teaspoon | 63 | 36 | 18 | 117 |
More than half the calories come from the bread, about a third from the butter, and less than a fifth from the caviar. If you want to save calories rather than caviar, drop the butter: without it the sandwich is 36 kcal lighter.
Slice weight varies with the bread and the knife. How to find yours is covered in the article on bread slice weight.
Salt in caviar
Caviar is a salty food. The USDA entry lists 1,500 mg of sodium per 100 g, which is 3.75 g of salt. A heaped teaspoon gives about 0.26 g of salt, a sandwich with a double portion about 0.56 g. WHO recommends that adults have less than 5 g of salt a day. Two or three caviar sandwiches fit within this, but there is salt in the bread and in the rest of the festive table too. Where it hides in ready-made food is covered in a separate article.
Caviar and allergy
Caviar is a fish product. People with a fish allergy should discuss it with an allergist rather than try it at a party. The types of fish and seafood allergy are covered in the article on seafood allergy.
How to log sandwiches at a festive table
The easiest way is to log a sandwich as three lines: bread, butter, caviar. Then you can see what changes if the butter is thicker or the caviar more generous. If there are several sandwiches, count one and multiply. How not to lose track of the rest of the meal is covered in the article on holiday meal calories.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams of caviar are in a teaspoon?
- A level teaspoon holds about 5 g of granular caviar, a heaped one about 7 g. A level tablespoon weighs 16 g according to USDA.
- How many calories are in a red caviar sandwich?
- A 25 g slice of white loaf, a thin 5 g layer of butter and a heaped teaspoon of caviar give about 114 kcal. Without butter, about 78 kcal.
- How many calories are in a tablespoon of caviar?
- In the USDA entry a level tablespoon of caviar weighs 16 g and has about 42 kcal. Labels on salmon caviar can show a different figure, so it is more accurate to use your jar.
- How much salt is in a caviar sandwich?
- A heaped teaspoon of caviar has about 0.26 g of salt. WHO recommends that adults have less than 5 g of salt a day, and the bread contains salt too.
Read next
- Holiday table: where do the calories in Olivier and herring under a fur coat come from — Olivier salad does not have one correct number: one cook's version may have twice as many calories as another's, despite using the same ingredients.
- How many calories are in a slice of bread: white loaf, Borodinsky and sandwich bread — A slice of bread weighs 20 to 40 g depending on the loaf and how thick it is cut.
- How to determine portion size without a scale — Portion weight is the most inaccurate variable in any calculation, including analysis by photo.
This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.