I used to hate smoked salmon, and now I’ve posted two smoked salmon recipes in a month. Chalking it up to brunch being such a large part of my life now that I live in The South – and smoked salmon just screams brunch.
Blini are like tiny, salty pancakes that offer a soft receptacle for fancy toppings, such as meat, cream and caviar. I made mine with slices of smoked salmon, a dollop of creme fraiche and a small sprig of dill. I’m not a huge dill fan, but its slight addition to the blini is nice – just don’t overdo it.
So delicious. The blini are made with buckwheat flour and regular flour, so they have an earthy taste. The creme fraiche is creamy and tangy, matching the smooth piquant fish.
Perfect party food because it is a perfect finger food, I give you…
Smoked Salmon Blini with Creme Fraiche and Dill
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 extra-large egg
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified, divided (melt butter in saucepan and spoon off the white solids that rise to the top. Otherwise, butter will crackle on pan and spit grease at you!)
- 1/2 pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
- Fresh dill sprig, for garnish
Combine both flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter, then whisk into the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter in a medium saute pan and drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Set aside.
I made mine the day before, then chilled them. Before serving, place on baking sheet in single layer and heat gently in an oven at 200 degrees. Then, top with remaining ingredients.
To serve, top the blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.
I was surprised how easy the blini were to make – they slide easily out of the pan after becoming lightly browned on each side.
These blini bites are colorful, fresh, festive and simply delicious. Perfect for brunch, or an after-work get-together or any other time you want to make something a little bit special.
Enjoy, friends! xoxo
Seasoned to Taste 