The Russians sure like to party, and what other finger food can possibly top smoked salmon blinis with a bit of caviar? Serve these canapés with some champagne or prosecco and you will be delighted. If you are a bit brave and really want to rev things up, serve with a chilled shot of vodka. Nostrovia!
Blinis are small Russian pancakes and were considered to be a symbol of the sun by early Slavic people. They taste fantastic with crème fraîche and smoked salmon. I have added a little twist with some caviar on top to give it a robust salty punch when you bite through. Do not be alarmed when you hear the word ‘caviar’. I am not talking about the £200 per 100g stuff. There are several affordable alternatives out there: lumpfish caviar, salmon roe, or arënkha work just fine and usually cost less than £5 in your supermarket. So there you go, you can eat like a posh Russian without spending ludicrous amounts of money.
READY TO COOK?
- Lay out your blinis on a large plate or platter.
- Spoon the crème fraîche on with a tea spoon.
- Place the smoked salmon on top and squeeze over a quarter of lemon.
- Using a tea spoon, gently place the caviar on top of the salmon.
- Season with black pepper.
INGREDIENTS
- 16 blinis
- 6 table spoons of crème fraîche
- 200g smoked salmon – cut into small pieces
- 25g lumpfish caviar (you can use salmon roe or arënkha)
- 1 lemon
- black pepper