You will need high-quality salmon (preferably wild salmon, with its skin on), salmon roe caviar (available in little jars at most good supermarkets in the canned fish section) and a nice oil; I use roasted pumpkin seed oil. If you can't fine it, use walnut or sesame oil.
1to 2 tablespoons pumpkinseed oil or some other nice oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1tablespoonfresh chopped dill
1teaspoonprepared horseradish
2teaspoonsdill pollen(optional)
Salt and black pepper
1tablespoonlemon juice
2ouncessalmon caviar
Instructions
Slice the skin off the salmon with a fillet knife and gently scrape off any meat sticking to it. Pat the salmon skin dry with paper towels and lay flat, cut side down, on a non-stick skillet. Turn the heat to medium and place another flat, heavy surface on top of the skin. I use another pot. Let this cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Listen for it sizzling under the weight, and do not check the skin for at least 3 minutes -- this prevents it from curling up. Once the cut side looks crispy, turn the salmon skin, salt the side you just cooked, and repeat the process with the other side of the skin.
When the salmon skin is crispy, take it out of the pan and let it cool for a minute or two. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut it into cracker pieces. Let it cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the tartare by finely chopping the salmon into small dice. Do not put it into a food processor and do not shop it into mush. Put the chopped salmon into a bowl and mix in the shallot, pumpkinseed oil, lemon zest, dill, dill pollen if using, and horseradish. Salt and pepper it to taste and set it in the fridge to chill for up to a few hours.
When you are ready to serve, mix the lemon juice into the tartare and scoop little piles of it on each salmon skin cracker. Top with a dollop of salmon caviar and serve. Have some table water crackers around to serve after the salmon skin crackers are eaten up.
Notes
Make sure you cut the salmon with a sharp knife, as a dull knife will smear the salmon fat and damage the way the tartare feels in your mouth when you eat it. You want little salmon dice, not a mush.