13 Feb Smoked Salmon and Caviar “Pizza”
This is a simple hors d’oeuvre dish or starter course. Smoked salmon and caviar is a classical pairing, here made more relaxing and fun served on a pizza crust. You can use any garnish that you like. We are partial to champagne onions, since they are sweet and easy to make.
4 servings as an hors d’oeuvre, 2 servings as a main course
Ingredients
2 pre-baked 6” pizza crusts (you may substitute quality pita bread)
1 cucumber
4 ounces smoked salmon
1 ounce caviar
½ cup crème fraîche
Garnishes:
Alfalfa sprouts
Hard-cooked egg yolks
Champagne onions
Preparation
Thinly slice the smoked salmon, or have your deli person do it. Spread a thin layer of crème fraîche over the pizza crust, then lay the salmon strips over it to completely cover.
Place small spoonfuls of caviar around the outside of the pizza, like the numbers on a clock. Using a squeeze bottle, squeeze drops of crème fraîche alternating around the caviar.
Slice the cucumber crosswise as thinly as possible. Lay a few overlapping slices of cucumber in the center of the pizza, and garnish with bean sprouts and champagne onions. Slice into wedges and serve.
[Chef’s Note: You may also use the remaining cucumber slices to form a pretty base for the pizza. Simply lay overlapping slices in a circle just a little wider than the diameter of the pizza.
You may also top the pizza with the caviar in lines, alternating with hard-cooked egg yolk and champagne onions. Pass the yolk through a sieve with a metal spoon to create fine grains. Drizzle with crème fraîche to garnish.]
Recipe and photo by Mark Tafoya