This recipe has three big parts to it: gravadlaxing the trout, making the blinis and then actually putting the blinis together, but it is very much worth the effort and, if you break it down into three parts, it’s really simple. You start by curing the trout 48 hours before you serve, so that the fish can be sliced and ready to serve – first part done. Then you make the blinis, which can be done ahead of time, ideally the day before. That just leaves the assembly of the blinis with the creme fraiche, which leads to the best bit: the eating! These were served three per person as my first course/amuse bouche during my June Supper Club in Crystal Palace, but they can also be served as canapés or with triple the blinis, a pile and salmon and a dollop of creme fraiche as a starter.
To see an in-the-making video, click here.
Serves 6 (plus 42 leftover blinis to freeze)
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20g fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed juniper berries
50g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp
50g sea salt flakes
1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed
200g raw trout fillet
100g plain flour
1 egg, separated
150ml milk
1 tbsp chopped dill
25g butter
2-4 tbsp vegetable oil
90g creme fraiche
6 saucers
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Mix together two thirds of the dill with juniper berries, caster sugar, salt and white peppercorns in a bowl.
Lay out a piece of baking paper on a clean work surface and place the trout on top. Coat the trout with half the dill mixture. Turn the fish over, then coat the other side of the fish with the remaining dill mixture. Wrap and place in an oven tray with a plate and a 400g tin on it to weigh it down. Chill for 12-24 hours then turn the fish over and replace the weight. Chill for another 12-24 hours. The longer you leave the fish to marinate, the stronger the flavour will be.
Scrape off the salt and place the fish on a plate. Chill for 4 hours without a covering to dry out, then cover the fish with the remaining dill and slice on a gradient very thinly. At this point, the fish will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, if you are not going to use it straightaway.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and egg yolk, then stir in the milk gradually, followed by the melted butter and dill. Whisk thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white to thick peaks and then fold it into the dill batter.
Heat a large frying pan to hot and add 2 tbsp oil. Spoon a full teaspoon of the batter into the pan to form a circle and continue to do so, spaced well apart, so you have many circles of batter coking. Cook on low for 2 mins then turn the blinis over and cook fo 2 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack. You will have to do this in batches, until you have approximately 60 blinis. The blinis freeze well in a lidded tub or freezer bag, so you can freeze any blinis you don’t use for another day.
Place three blinis on each saucer and divide the creme fraiche between them. Top the blinis with the gravlax trout and serve.
