Easy Blini with Caviar (video)
Easy recipe for blini with caviar - mini pancakes topped with crème fraiche, various toppings, and caviar. An impressive and delicious appetizer recipe!
Ingredients
For Blini Recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- cooking spray or oil, for frying; as needed
For Toppings:
- 2 oz black sturgeon caviar
- 4 oz salmon roe
- 1/3 cup crème fraiche
- 2 large eggs, hard-boiled
- 1 medium shallot, very finely diced
- 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
- small bunch fresh dill
- ice, for chilling caviar
Instructions
Making the Blini (Pancakes):
- For the pancake batter, pour the buttermilk into a large mixing bowl and add the melted butter and egg. Whisk together until the egg is well-beaten.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Whisk the batter until it’s smooth and clump free. It should be on the thicker side. Use the batter right away.
- Preheat a griddle or non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
- For each pancake, drop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the hot griddle. Wait until air bubbles start to rise, then flip the pancakes over. The pancakes should be a light, golden-brown color.
- Transfer hot pancakes onto a wire rack to cool. Don’t stack the pancakes until they’ve cooled to room temperature.
Preparing the Toppings:
- Prepare the toppings next. For the eggs – first split the eggs open, then separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Very finely dice the egg whites and place into a ramekin. Crush the egg yolks with a fork until crumbly and place them into a separate bowl.
- Very finely dice the shallot. Finely chop the capers. Place all the toppings into separate ramekins with small serving spoons.
- Place the crème fraiche into a small serving bowl. You can add fresh dill directly into the crème, if desired.
Serving Caviar Blini:
- You can serve the blini with caviar as a spread and each guest can help themselves to the pancakes and toppings. You can also prepare each pancake with the toppings and caviar and set the ready blini onto a serving tray.
- For serving the caviar: fill a bowl with crushed ice and place the caviar in its tin directly onto the ice. If the caviar doesn’t come in a tin or glass jar, transfer it into a glass bowl. Add mother-of-pearl spoons on the side for serving.
- If making a platter – place the caviar on ice onto a large serving platter or board and arrange all the toppings and pancakes around the caviar. Check out my video tutorial to see how I did this.
- Each guest can then make their own blini with caviar with their desired toppings.
- For ready-made blini – add a small amount of crème fraiche onto each pancake. Sprinkle a tiny bit of each topping over the top, then add the caviar on top. Garnish with a tiny piece of fresh dill, if desired.
- Caviar blini should be enjoyed right away. Keep the caviar well chilled!
Nutrition
Serving: 1pancake with all toppings | Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg