Salmon Roe (Ikura) with Crème Fraîche and Chips!

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Salmon Roe (Ikura) with Crème Fraîche and Chips is a super awesome combination of ingredients. It's easy to make but looks fancy. We love setting this out for pupu / snacking appetizers. There's nothing to cook, just assemble the ingredients and enjoy ^_^

Chips topped with crème fraîche, ikura (salmon roe), and chives.

This tastes even better than it looks! Serve it as an snack, an appetizer, or even a solo dinner for one haha.

Start with a chip. More specifically, a furikake chip.

Put a dollop of crème fraîche on top.

Then a spoonful for cured salmon roe aka ikura on top.

Finish with a sprinkle of chives. Enjoy!

You can load up on the ikura (which is what I like to do for a solo snack/meal). Or go crazy with the crème fraîche. The best part of assembling your own chip is that you can do what you want.

Make sure the ingredients are the best you can get. Because there's no actual cooking involved, all the "core" ingredients should be nice. And then eat!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions and Variations
Storage
Top Tip
FAQ
Salmon Roe (Ikura) with Crème Fraîche and Chips Recipe
Salmon Roe (Ikura) with Crème Fraîche and Chips!
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Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

Ikura (salmon roe) with crème fraîche, chips, and chives.

Cured salmon roe (ikura).
We buy ikura from Japanese markets like Nijiya and Mitsuwa. You can also make ikura at home (it's not hard but takes time, would be a fun weekend project).

Furikake chips or plain salted chips.
You can always find furikake chips at Japanese markets. If you can't find furikake chips, just use plain salted chips.

Note: Don't use any flavored chips like salt and vinegar, bbq, sour cream and onion, etc. Flavored chips will distract from the ikura and crème fraîche.

Crème fraîche.
There is definitely a difference in quality between brands for crème fraîche. Don't shortcut this ingredient.

The one I like most is the Isigny Ste. Mère brand, it's usually available at Whole Foods Hawaii. The crème fraîche from Vermont Creamery is also good and can be found at many supermarkets.

Chives.
Just a plain bunch of chives, finely chopped ^_^

See recipe card below for quantities.

Instructions

Let's get assembling (there's no cooking involved) ^_^

Spoon the cured salmon roe (ikura) into a bowl.

Open the bag of furikake chips (or plain, salted chips) and pour it into a bowl.

Open the jar of crème fraîche.

Place the minced chives into a bowl.

Place all four components (cured salmon roe / ikura, furikake chips, crème fraîche, and minced chives) on a table. Let everyone assemble their own snack.

How to assemble?

Take a chip, put a spoonful of crème fraîche on top. Then a spoonful of the cured salmon roe (ikura). Top with a sprinkle of minced chives. Eat and enjoy ^_^

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few fun ideas to get started. Main thing to keep in mind is to get the best qualify of each individual ingredient, no matter what you're using.

Different fish roes - Cured salmon roe / ikura is just one type of fish roe. You can mix it up and use a different type of fish roe, anything from trout roe to caviar. Or for a party, you can even set up a "bar" with a variety of fish roe. That would be pretty fun!
Crackers - We like to use chips because it's delicious. You can also make this with crackers, use thin, plain crackers like water crackers.
Snack for one - When I'm making this for a solo snack / working at the computer snack, I assemble everything in a bowl and eat it with chopsticks haha. Place a handful of chips in a shallow bowl, then top with dollops of crème fraîche, spoonfuls of ikura and lots of chives. You will not regret this.

Enjoy!

Storage

Any leftovers should be stored separately. Chips in an airtight bag. Ikura in a sealed container (can keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days). Crème fraîche sealed and refrigerated. Chives in a sealed container.

And then when you're ready for round two of snacks, bring it all back out ^_^

Top Tip

This is my go-to snack when hosting lunch/dinner gatherings. It looks really nice for the guests and is low stress for the host to prepare.

Buy all the ingredients a day in advance and it takes just five minutes to assemble everything. When close friend ask how they can help in the kitchen for parties, this is one of the few things I'm comfortable delegating out. It's fun for everyone and very delicious.

FAQ

How far in advance can you prep everything?

Aside from cutting the chives (which we recommend doing no more than a few hours in advance), there's no actual prep work to be done.

Do I need to keep the ikura chilled?

Ideally yes. If you're having this sit out for more than 30 minutes, place the bowl with ikura in a larger shallow bowl with crushed ice. This will help keep it cool.

Where can I buy furikake chips?

Japanese supermarkets are almost guaranteed to have furikake chips. Chinese and Korean supermarkets might have furikake chips. If you can't find furikake chips, just use plain salted chips.