I had dinner in a very fine Chicago restaurant last night that served an
incredibly good appetizer that I want to replicate for a dinner party. It
was a potato crusted "Balik" smoked salmon with dilled cucumber, ossetra
caviar, crème fraise and a lettuce butter sauce. I'd never had or even
heard of "Balik" smoked salmon before this appetizer. The salmon was
smoked, mild tasting in an extremely thin hot crispy potato crust. I am
assuming something along the order of 1/16th inch mandoline sliced potatoes
briefly pan fried in a very hot skillet. The smoked salmon wasn't the usual
paper thin slices but pieces about 1/2 inch thick by 2 inch long. It wasn't
the chunky type though but the extremely tender sort that you'd expect to be
sliced paper thin ... except it wasn't ;-). The cucumber was cut in
matchstick slices redolent of dill. I think that I can figure out the sauce
(outrageously good, completely smooth and pureed lettucy essence with a pale
green color that made me wish "lettuce" always tasted this good) and the
dilled cucumber thingy but I think this special Balik salmon is essential.
Ossetra caviar is readily available in 'da windy city so ....

The combination of this incredibly good smoked salmon and the crispy thin
potato crust was quite memorable. I just don't remember seeing this salmon
sold locally. I googled the Balik salmon and got lots of hits but nothing
that suggested a local source.

Any help?

TIA

Kate

"Kate B" writes:

>I had dinner in a very fine Chicago restaurant last night that served an
>incredibly good appetizer that I want to replicate for a dinner party. It
>was a potato crusted "Balik" smoked salmon with dilled cucumber, ossetra
>caviar, crème fraise and a lettuce butter sauce. I'd never had or even
>heard of "Balik" smoked salmon before this appetizer. The salmon was
>smoked, mild tasting in an extremely thin hot crispy potato crust. I am
>assuming something along the order of 1/16th inch mandoline sliced potatoes
>briefly pan fried in a very hot skillet. The smoked salmon wasn't the usual
>paper thin slices but pieces about 1/2 inch thick by 2 inch long. It wasn't
>the chunky type though but the extremely tender sort that you'd expect to be
>sliced paper thin ... except it wasn't ;-).

Check

http://www.caviar-house.com/products/balik.lbl

Looks like you're describing the Filet Tsar Nikolaj cut.

FWIW, Balik seems to be a registered trademark. From what I was able to glean
via a quick google there's some sort of "secret russian method" used by Balik.
Without having tasted it myself I'd guess a light smoking with alder. Great
Russians tended to use alder for smoking.

Best,

Marc

"MrAoD" > wrote in message
...
> Check
>
> http://www.caviar-house.com/products/balik.lbl
>
> Looks like you're describing the Filet Tsar Nikolaj cut.
>
> FWIW, Balik seems to be a registered trademark. From what I was able to
glean
> via a quick google there's some sort of "secret russian method" used by
Balik.
> Without having tasted it myself I'd guess a light smoking with alder.
Great
> Russians tended to use alder for smoking.
>
> Best,
>
> Marc

The Caviar House is located in Europe. I was looking for a purveyor in
Chicago or at least the U.S. Thanks for the info though.

Kate
>
>

"Kate B" writes:

>"MrAoD" > wrote in

>> Check
>>
>> http://www.caviar-house.com/products/balik.lbl
>>
>> Looks like you're describing the Filet Tsar Nikolaj cut.
>>
>> FWIW, Balik seems to be a registered trademark. From what I was able to
>glean
>> via a quick google there's some sort of "secret russian method" used by
>Balik.
>> Without having tasted it myself I'd guess a light smoking with alder.
>Great
>> Russians tended to use alder for smoking.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Marc
>
>The Caviar House is located in Europe. I was looking for a purveyor in
>Chicago or at least the U.S. Thanks for the info though.
>

www.balik.com is the manufacturer. You can order direct from them (I think),
not sure if they ship to the US, their site is flash-heavy so I didn't follow
the ordering process to the penultimate step.

Or you can call the restaurant where you ate the dish and ask who their
supplier is.

Best of luck,

Marc