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Authentic Zakuski Recipe Russia, Europe

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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though

Introduction & history

The French have hors d’oeuvres, the Spanish have tapas, and the Russians take pride in their zakuski — a wide range of appetizers served before every traditional lunch or dinner, and paired with shots of vodka. Typically, zakuski can be served on a table with guests sitting around it, or presented as a buffet, depending on the occasion. There is no set rules on what zakuski should contain — most commonly, Russian hosts will bring everything they have to the table. Bread — white, rye or a mixture of rye and wheat — is most commonly served fresh, or toasted and paired with butter. Then, there is an assortment of cheeses and charcuterie – cold cuts, hams, chicken rolls, liver and tongue pâtés and aspics. Fish is usually served cured or brined, and often includes herring, salmon, eel, and fresh caviar. Dumplings, pancakes and savory pies — such as pelmeni, pirozhki, pampushki, kulebyaka and ... Read more

Pair with

Spirit

Vodka

Europe

3.5

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Cooking tips

  • caviar

    The most expensive and the most lavish part of zakuski is the caviar — fish roe, or fish eggs. The best caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon and is known as beluga caviar, but osetra and sevruga are also highly appreciated. The eggs are small and grayish-black, and often lightly salted. Salmon caviar, on the other hand, is slightly larger, reddish in color and less expensive. Caviar is typically ... Read more
  • salads

    Mixed and layered salads, often garnished with sour cream and/or mayonnaise, are another essential part of the zakuski course. Salad Olivier is a classic mixed salad made with chicken, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, peas, onions, and mayonnaise. An example of a layered salad is shuba salad, a combination of herring, grated potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, and mayonnaise, also known as herring under a ... Read more
  • bread

    Fresh bread — white, rye, or wheat and rye — is served on zakuski table cut in slices or as a part of canapé sandwiches. Sometimes, the bread can be toasted and served with butter on the side.
  • aspics

    Meat or fish aspics are often made with vegetables such as carrots, peas, and onions, and served either as individual portions or cut in slices. Since the preparation is lengthy — 4 to 6 hours of cooking, plus an additional 2 to 12 hours for cooling, they are usually prepared a day or two in advance.

Recipe variations

Salted Salmon

PREP 12h 20min

READY IN 12h 20min

4.4

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Simple and easy to make, this recipe was adapted from Allrecipes.ru, and gives directions how to make slightly salted salmon using only salt, sugar, lemon, and dill.

Ingredients

8 Servings

Salted Salmon

500 g salmon fillet with skin

2 tbsp coarse salt

1 tbsp sugar

zest of 1 lemon

dill

Preparation

1

Salted Salmon

Step 1/5

Wash the salmon fillets with cold water and dry them with a paper towel.

Step 2/5

Check for pin bones and remove them with tweezers.

Step 3/5

Mix sugar and salt and rub them vigorously into the salmon. Sprinkle with grated lemon zest and dill.

Step 4/5

Put the fillets in a plastic or glass container and cover with plastic wrap.

Step 5/5

Cool in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Drain the liquid before serving. Salted salmon can be kept in a refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic foil.

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