Blinis are traditionally small, savory pancakes (about 2-3″ diameter) that are served alongside caviar. This recipe is a take on that same idea, except these are made with riced cauliflower for a lighter, healthier feel.
Each Blini is topped with a dollop of cool yogurt and a touch of salmon caviar for the perfect bite! Salmon caviar is not expensive, but it’ll look and feel extra fancy and special to guests!
Heads up: Use pre–riced cauliflower – it’ll save you time, plus it’s already cut into perfect uniform pieces. Find it bagged in the produce section of most any grocery store. Second – you can totally make these ahead and just reheat in the oven prior to topping and serving 😉
Cauliflower “Blinis” with Caviar
Ingredients
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt + a couple pinches
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp Salmon caviar
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Cooking spray for frying
- *Optional Greens for garnish (dill is nice)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees & line a baking sheet with foil. This will be used to keep Blinis warm as you fry in batches.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the riced cauliflower in salted boiling water until tender (about 2 minutes). Drain, then spread on a paper towel, pat dry and allow to cool.
- In a small bowl, blend the yogurt with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Make the blini batter
- In a small mixing bowl combine salt, pepper, baking powder, allspice, cumin and coriander. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the 3 egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed, add pinch of salt and continue beating until firm peaks form. Fold in the cauliflower and the spice mixture. Be sure to “fold” vs mixing. You want to keep the air and lightness in the egg white peaks.
Fry the blinis
- This is basically like making mini-pancakes. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Spray the pan with the cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of the blini batter into the pan and cook until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side – about another 2 minutes.
- Transfer the blinis to the baking sheet & keep warm in the oven, as you finish frying the remaining batter.
Assemble
- Place blinis on a pretty serving dish. Top each with a dollop of the yogurt (about 1/2 tsp or so) + about 1/2 tsp of the caviar. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
