Smoked Salmon Blini Canapés, the perfect party food for your Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner, or any other celebration all year round. Delicious homemade blinis topped with silky cream, cucumber, smoked salmon and a touch of lemon; can’t think of a better appetizer!
Only 2 days left till the big day, and I am sure preparations are already in full swing for the most awaited party of the year. If Christmas is about turkey, roasties, everything gingerbread, etc, the New Year’s Eve party is all about fancy appetizers, and luscious desserts.
And here you have one fine party food that everybody will be crazy about. These smoked salmon blini canapés are nothing but utter perfection. Super easy to make, super quick, and tasting fabulous, you can never go wrong with them. I for one absolutely love smoked salmon, so these bites are after my own heart.
What is a blini?
Traditional blinis are Russian pancakes that look more like crêpes, rather than an American pancake. However, these mini pancakes are often referred to in the UK as blinis, and are a very popular starter for the New Year party, most commonly paired with smoked salmon and cream.
There are so many toppings you can choose from, though, from soft cheese, avocado, cherry tomatoes, olives, pomegranate seeds, and so on. This is a very easy blini recipe, and, unlike the traditional pancake that uses baking powder, these blinis use yeast.
Fast-action dry yeast is the best, but make sure to always check that it’s still active, but adding it to a warm liquid, be it water or milk, and leaving it to rise for at least 10 minutes. If the yeast does not become foamy, it’s not active, and it’s best not to use it, since it won’t help the dough rise.
The best smoked salmon blini bites
And, unlike the usual pancake batter, this blini batter is a lot stickier, so you have to be careful when you spread it on the pan, it tends to stick to the spoon a bit.
I would say that, although it has the shape of a pancake, these blinis taste more like a flat bread, but they are incredibly soft, and tasty.
I cannot believe I have not made them before, they can be served for breakfast or brunch as well, with your favourite topping. But, coming back to our favourite topping, the smoked salmon, this really is one amazing combo. I already have a smoked salmon pate appetizer recipe that I make often, and now l can add this recipe to the list too.
And since this is my last recipe that I post on the blog this year, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year, and a fabulous 2019!
If you’ve liked my SMOKED SALMON BLINI CANAPES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Smoked Salmon Blini Canapés, the perfect party food for your Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner, or any other party around the year. Delicious homemade blinis topped with silky cream, cucumber, smoked salmon and a touch of lemon; can't think of a better appetizer! These blinis are very easy to make, and can be topped with anything else that takes your fancy.
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp fast-action dry yeast
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche (or double/heavy cream)
- 1/2 cup milk
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 100 g smoked salmon
- fresh dill to garnish
- butter or oil to fry
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To make the blinis, separate the egg yolk from the egg white.
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In a bowl, beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks and set aside.
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Warm up the milk (but not hot), add the yeast, and set aside for about 10 minutes, so that the yeast can be activated, this will become foamy.
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In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, egg yolk and milk with yeast, and mix well to get a dough.
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Gently fold in the egg whites and creme fraiche to get a smooth batter that has the consistency of a thicker pancake batter.
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Heat up a frying pan over a low heat, add a bit of oil or butter, then about one tablespoon of batter at a time, and cook for about a minute on each side, just the way you would cook a pancake.
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Repeat until you finish up the batter.
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To assemble, spread creme fraiche over each blini, top with slices of cucumber and smoked salmon, and drizzle a bit of lemon juice over.
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Garnish with fresh dill.
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