Our devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe makes the ultimate elegant cocktail party canapés or a luxurious treat to savour with sparkling wine. Traditionally served as part of a festive Russian zakuski spread, you could save these retro hors d’oeuvres for special occasions but why not indulge in them at home from time to time?
This devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe makes a more luxurious take on the classic Russian devilled eggs recipe. Devilled eggs were served as part of a spread of zakuski or appetisers that were the prelude to a traditional feast, with smoked salmon and caviar added for more lavish meals for special occasions, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
These retro hors d’oeuvres, which were popularised in the 1970s along with other Russian dishes, such as beef Stroganoff and chicken Kiev, have never gone out of style for me, as they’re so much a part of my Russian culinary heritage and family celebrations during my childhood.
I love to kick off a traditional Russian Christmas feast with devilled eggs, but Terence and I also love snacking on these devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar as we sip glasses of sparkling here in Siem Reap and watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks on TV in Sydney. It’s always a delicious indulgence.
While these smoked salmon and caviar devilled eggs make the ultimate elegant cocktail party canapés and are perfect for serving on special occasions and Christmas and New Year, we highly recommend you do the same and indulge in these in the intimacy of home from time to time.
I’ll be filing this devilled eggs smoked salmon recipe in both my collection of Russian family recipes and our Weekend Eggs recipe series of quintessential egg dishes from around the world (which is on hiatus until next weekend), as they make a fantastic addition to the Sunday brunch table.
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Now let me tell you about this devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe.
Devilled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Caviar Recipe for Cocktail Party Canapés
This devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe makes a more luxurious version of the Russian devilled eggs recipe we shared last year that has a subtle kick of spice from paprika and turmeric, which is what makes them ‘devilled’.
Also called ‘Russian eggs’, devilled eggs started life out as ‘stuffed eggs’ during Roman times although one of the first documented recipes originated in Spain. In Imperial Russia, devilled eggs were a feature of the zakuski spread – a lavish assortment of canapés and salads served to guests on a buffet table before they sat down to a multi-course feast.
As Russians were either extraordinarily wealthy or incredibly poor during the Tsarist period, only the elites would have nibbled on boiled eggs topped with salmon and caviar. It wasn’t until the peak of the Soviet period when dining was democratised that caviar was more affordable.
My Russian grandmother always had a jar of caviar or two and boiled eggs on the table for family meals, especially long lazy Sunday lunches that turned into dinner, and Russian Christmas and Easter, when I was growing up in Sydney in the 1970s.
My mum’s devilled eggs were zestier and fancier, as was the fashion in the Seventies, when she took the trouble to prettily pipe the egg mixture, pile the caviar and salmon on top of the eggs, and sprinkle the platter of devilled eggs with parsley, not dill as my baboushka did.
Only a couple of quick tips to making this devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe as it’s super easy for such an elegant appetiser.
Tips to Making this Devilled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Caviar Recipe
I only have a couple of quick tips to making this devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe as it’s super easy to assembled for such an elegant appetiser.
Firstly, see Terence’s outstanding guide to boiling perfect eggs if you need help in that regard – it’s one of the most popular posts on the site – and he also has some tips to peeling hard boiled eggs. Probably the hardest things about this recipe is peeling the eggs so they’re perfectly smooth.
Tips to Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs
You’ll need perfectly smooth eggs for this devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe. A few tips: older eggs are easier to peel. If using fresh eggs, chill the boiled eggs in iced water after boiling them.
When cool, roll each egg on the surface of your kitchen bench to crack the shell, then soak the eggs in a bowl of water for a minute or so to enable the water to get between the shells and eggs, making the eggs easier to peel.
Start peeling from the eggs’ wider bottom where air pockets can form. If still tricky to peel, submerge the eggs in the water or carefully peel the eggs under running tap water.
Tips to Making the Egg Stuffing
There’s no paprika, chilli or turmeric in these eggs, as I’ve taken the devil out of the devilled eggs, because in this recipe the eggs are really a vehicle for the stars, the smoked salmon and caviar.
I simply mash the seasoning and spices together with a fork rather than use a blender or food processor, as I still want the creamy egg mixture to have some texture.
While I don’t pipe the egg mixture into the firm egg white, as it’s all about the salmon and caviar, you could certainly use a piping bag.
Tips to Serving the Eggs on a Zakuski Buffet
If you’re intending to make these devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar for a zakuski spread or zakuski buffet before a Russian meal, you might also want to browse our recipes for Russian eggplant caviar for ikra; sauteed mushrooms with dill; and individual DIY mimosa salads served in glasses.
Also see our recipes for Russian buckwheat pancakes; Russian potato pancakes; piroshki for minced meat-filled pastries; our pink beetroot potato salad, Olivier salad (ensalada Rusa), and a Russian garden salad.
You will also need to prepare some small plates of various cured meats and salamis, dill pickles, a variety of hard cheeses, and salted herrings or rollmops.
Devilled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Caviar Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 hard-boiled eggs - peeled and halved
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise - creamy
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh dill - finely chopped
- 40 g smoked salmon
- 40 g red and/or black caviar
- 8 sprigs of dill
Instructions
- Boil eggs until the yolks are firm (see our guide), then chill in the fridge.
- Once eggs are cold, carefully peel them, then slice in half, cutting lengthwise. Clean your knife between eggs for smooth slices.
- Use a teaspoon to carefully remove the yolks, transferring them to a mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, seasoning, spices, and finely chopped dill, and use a fork to mash everything together, then stir vigorously to well-combine.
- Taste, and adjust the seasoning as you like.
- Spoon the creamy egg mixture back into each egg white; use a piping bag if you wish.
- Tear the smoked salmon into eight narrow strips, roll each up, and place them on the creamy egg mixture; add a teaspoon of caviar to each egg, and garnish with a sprig of dill.
- Serve with Champagne or shots of chilled vodka as my family did.
Nutrition
Do let us know if you make this devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar recipe as we’d love to know they turn out for you.
