Caviar
With coastlines bordering two oceans and four seas, it is no wonder that Russian cuisine abounds in recipes fish and seafood. These dishes run the gamut of high and low cuisine, ranging from luxurious Beluga caviar and blinis to deliciously inventive preparations for winter staples like beets and herring.
Caviar and Blini
No fish dish is more synonymous with Russia than the eggs of a Beluga sturgeon spread across a fried blini pancake and topped with a dollop of sour cream. The Persians invented salted caviar, but it became a luxury item when the Russian czars developed a taste for it in the middle of the 12th century. Russians started exporting caviar to western Europe in the 1500s, and it has been a staple on the menus of gourmet restaurants ever since. While certain varieties of caviar are prohibitively expensive (the best Beluga regularly sold for more than $100 per ounce in 2009), cod and salmon roe are relatively cheap. French and American sturgeon caviar tends to be less expensive than its Russian cousins since overfishing in the Caspian Sea has seriously depleted fish stocks.
Dressed Herring
Salted, pickled herring is a Russian staple. Sometimes, Russians eat the fish plain or on toast, but you can also combine it with sour cream, carrots and beets to create a dish called "selyodka pod shouboy," or "dressed herring." Traditionally, Russians serve dressed herring cold as an appetizer or salad rather than as a main course.
Fish Balls
Many varieties of fish dumplings exist in Russian cuisine. "Gelki" is ground fish combined with milk, flour and spices and boiled in an aromatic broth. Gelki boiled in a container of fish skin are gefilte fish and are a staple of Jewish cuisine. Serve gelki and gefilte fish hot or cold, and top them with preserved horseradish.
Salmon Kulebyaka
Salmon kulebyaka is one of a variety of savory Russian meat pies--"kulebyaka" has roughly the same meaning as the French cooking term "en croute." The defining ingredients of this dish are salmon, puff pastry and rice, but it can include extras like carrots, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs and dill. The dish has been a popular centerpiece at parties and celebrations since the late 19th century.
Tags: dressed herring, gefilte fish, Russian cuisine, sour cream
