Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• zest and juice only
• 200g/7oz smoked salmon
• 20-24 ready-made cocktail blinis
• 1 small shallot
• finely chopped
• 142ml/5fl oz soured cream
• small bunch fresh dill
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Use a lemon zester to remove thin strips of zest from the lemon
• taking care to avoid the white pith
• which tastes bitter. Put the strips to one side.
• To dice the salmon
• pile up the slices of smoked salmon into a stack. Using a very sharp knife
• cut across the stack to give you thin strips. Turn the stack 90 degrees and cut across the strips again so that end up with fine dice. Place into a bowl.
• Add the juice of half of the lemon
• or more to taste
• and season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the finely chopped shallot and mix well.
• To serve
• spread a layer of soured cream onto each blini. Place a spoonful of the salmon mixture on top of the soured cream and garnish each with a small sprig of dill and a strip of lemon zest.