Friday, January 04, 2008

Salmon Roe Canapés, two ways

Sibulapaadid smetana hapukoore ja lõhemarjaga
Photo updated in January 2012

One of the appetizers we served on New Year's Eve to our guests was a simple, but elegant, salmon roe and red onion canapé. The 'recipe' was from this Finnish site, and I copied it pretty much verbatim. I used salmon roe, which is extremely festive-looking, but any fish roe you like and can afford would surely do.

Salmon Roe and Red Onion mouthfuls
(Sibulapaadid kalamarjaga)



2-3 red onions
100 grams trout or salmon roe
100 grams sour cream or cream fraiché (full-fat!)
fresh dill
coarsely ground black pepper

Peel the onion and cut into quarters. Divide into slices, reserving larger slices (2-3 per person) as 'spoons' and chopping the smaller slices finely.
Spoon some sour cream onto each onion slice, top with finely chopped onion and fish roe.
Garnish with dill and a grinding of black pepper.

*******

The other recipe is very similar to the first one, just served in a different way. You see, I had bought too much salmon roe, and had quite a bit left over on the New Year's Day. So when I browsed some of my favourite Estonian blogs, I spotted a salmon roe appetizer that Kajakapesa had made, and quickly tried her version at home. The ingredients are the same, with the addition of fried rye bread croutons, which take some more edge off the salty fishroe and harsh onions.

Salmon Roe and Rye Bread in a Glass
(Kalamarja suupiste rukkileivaga)
Serves 4
Recipe from the February 2007 issue of Kodukiri



2 to 3 slices of dark rye bread
100 - 200 ml sour cream
1 small red onion, finely chopped
100 grams fish roe (I used salmon, but trout roe would be fine)
fresh dill

Cut the rye bread slices into cubes and crisp them by putting into a hot oven for a few minutes, or dry-roast on a frying pan.
Divide the rye croutons between four glasses, spoon sour cream (or creme fraiché) on top. Sprinkle with finely chopped onion, a spoonful of salmon roe. Garnish with dill.



Other fish roe/caviar appetizers on Nami-nami include Johanna's caviar and wasabi mini potatoes.

15 comments:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

The colors of the roe and the red onion together are beautiful! I'd have to soak or blanch the onions to tame them a bit -- raw onions are a bit too strong for me. Blanching for a few seconds really seems to take some of the bite out, but still leaves them crunchy.

David T. Macknet said...

You know, the ones with the onions look like they'd be so delicious! But I'd get into trouble ... because red onion doesn't leave my breath for days! Is it worth it, though?

Grace Ediza Virlouvet said...

I'm so curious to try this, maybe it works well with some wine. I'll add it to my wish list. thanks for the post.

Anonymous said...

Nice and easy...or fast and easy... this makes me hungry...

Nora B. said...

Love salmon roe. Those two dishes look so elegant!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'd like a taste of both dishes. ;-)

Happy New Year!

Paz

Anonymous said...

I love appetizers like this...so easy to make and very elegant to look at :) Plus, delicious of course! You are really such an amazing hostess Pille...your guests are very lucky :)

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful! I'll have to try this soon. Thank you for the recipe!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

These are so elegant, Pille. What a splendid presentation they make.

swirlingnotions said...

Gorgeous. I swear one of my resolutions is going to be to eat more caviar this year. I've had it twice in the past two weeks (and blogged about it, of course :-)) and have just renewed my love for it.

Happy new year!

lobstersquad said...

they look great, but I´m not sure I could handle all hat raw onion. It´s one of my only food fobias. J loves it, and it´s always a row.

Anonymous said...

That is such a good idea, using onions as a vehicle for caviar. Thanks for sharing! Happy new year!

Anonymous said...

I love the color of the roe sailing in little purple boats... so beautiful!

-Asha

Pille said...

Lydia – thanks for the blanching/soaking tip! I was worried about the harshness of the raw onions, but it didn’t seem to be a problem at all. (I actually told my friends that they could just use the onions as ‘a spoon’ and just eat the ‘filling’, but nobody did that). I guess the harshness is outbalanced by the 30% sour cream and salmon roe itself.

DaviMack -of course it’s worth it. Alternatives: Make these when T. is away visiting friends or 2) just use shallots instead :)

Grace – or ice cold vodka, perhaps?

Sorina – yes, picturesque and quick and easy!

Joey – well, one has to ‘bribe’ her guests, doesn’t she?

Susan – I think their presentation was what appealed to me first – and they didn’t disappoint!

SwirlingNotions – I’m off to check out your caviar posts right now :)

Ximena – well, you could use Lydia’s blanching tip then, perhaps? But raw onion is the traditional accompaniment to caviar/roe, so that’s what we’re eating :)

Ann - vehicle is a good word to use here :)

Nora B, Paz, Asha – thank you!

Chef Talk, Podcasts & Recipes said...

I like the look of the caviar in the onion petal, just wondering if its too strong for some peoples taste. Nice looking Blog

Chef Chris

http://seasonalcooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/spice_rubbed_grilled_salmon