Cheese & Chive Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Soured Cream
Cheese & Chive Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Soured Cream looks impressive and tastes luxurious. But it’s surprisingly easy. Fluffy, cheesy and herby pancakes topped with lemon and chive soured cream plus thin slices of smoky salmon. Try it as a wonderful weekend breakfast, special occasion brunch, lunch, or first course.
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I’m willing to bet that if you said ‘pancakes’ to any number of Brits, the majority would think of the thin, crepe-like ones we eat on Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Traditionally served simply with a sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon, they’re incredibly good. My own recipe for English Pancakes, perfect for sweet or savoury fillings, is here.
But I think pancakes aren’t just for Pancake Day. And there’s room for the thicker fluffier ones too. While these are often thought of as American-style, Britain does have its own thicker pancakes. Think Scotch (or Scottish) pancakes, drop (or dropped) scones, and Welsh crempogau.
The delicious but easy recipe I’m sharing today, featuring light and fluffy pancakes with a generous amount of cheese and chives topped with zesty soured cream and rich, smoky salmon, demonstrates that pancakes really shouldn’t just be reserved for Pancake Day.
CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES WITH SMOKED SALMON & SOURED CREAM
A wonderful weekend breakfast, special occasion brunch, lunch, or first course, I came up Cheese & Chive Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Soured Cream as another way to serve the fantastic Cheese & Chive Pancakes I created over four years ago.
Really cheesy with Cheddar and Parmesan plus lots of fresh herb, I still regularly make them. They’re great eaten with a dab of butter plus extra cheese melting on top, or with eggs and bacon. I also sometimes add things like leftover cooked sausage or diced chorizo to the batter.
But occasionally I fancy something a bit special. That’s when I top the pancakes with tangy soured cream flavoured with more chives, some lemon zest and juice and maybe a little mild chilli, then drape over indulgent smoked salmon.
Just these few little extras, requiring about 5 minutes more effort, elevate the pancakes to another level. You can even make the Cheese & Chive Pancakes in advance, store in the fridge or freezer, so there’s even less to do when it’s time to eat.
You’ll find a recipe card at the end with ingredient amounts and full instructions. But I recommend you read the whole of this post first for more tips.
MAKING THE CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES
I’ve not included loads of detail here on making the pancakes as I’ve a whole post on Cheese & Chive Pancakes. Making the whole batch from that recipe will make enough to serve 4 people.
Ingredients for the pancakes are: self-raising flour (or plain/all-purpose flour + 2 level tsp baking powder), salt, milk, egg, Cheddar, Parmesan, chives, plus butter and oil for frying.
The flour, salt, milk and egg come together easily and quickly into a thick batter by whisking. The grated cheeses and chopped chives are then folded in. Unlike the batter for crepes, you don’t need to allow time to let it rest. You can get cooking straight away.
Ideally, use a large frying pan or griddle so you can cook several pancakes at once. I love my electric tabletop grill (affiliate link) which despite its relatively low price cooks nice and evenly and has good temperature control. Best of all, I can cook 6 pancakes in one go, meaning they’re all done in less than 15 minutes.
It’s up to you what size you make them. You could go for little dinky ones like blinis or, as I do, use about a tablespoon of batter for each which will give you approximately 12 larger ones or 3 per person.
As you cook each batch, wrap the pancakes in a clean cloth to keep warm while you make the rest. Alternatively, set aside and reheat later; I explain different methods further on.
SERVING CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES WITH SMOKED SALMON & SOURED CREAM
To flavour the soured cream, add roughly 200ml to a small bowl and stir in the juice and finely grated zest of half a lemon, about a tablespoon of snipped chives and season with black pepper, some mild chilli or red pepper flakes if you like some heat, plus a little salt. Give it a taste and stir in a little more of any of them if you think they’re needed.
Now spoon a generous amount of the soured cream over each warm pancake and drape some smoked salmon over the top. Finish with a scattering of more chives, black pepper, plus chilli flakes too if using. I love some fresh rocket alongside, or you could swap in any other salad leaves. Cut the remaining half of the lemon into wedges for squeezing over.
If you’ve never made this type of pancake before, you might be surprised at how easy fluffy Cheese & Chive Pancakes are. Unlike the crepe-style ones which must be cooked individually, you can make lots of these at once. Add to that the luxurious, no-cook topping of smoked salmon and soured cream and I think you’ve something very special for minimum effort.
STORING & REHEATING
For a quick, fuss-free meal, make the pancakes up to 2 days in advance. Store covered in the fridge or freeze. Reheating in batches in the microwave takes just a few seconds and brings the pancakes back to lovely fluffiness. Alternatively, put in a baking tray in a single layer, cover with foil and heat in the oven for approximately 4 minutes at the temperature shown in the notes to the recipe card. Pancakes can also be reheated in a toaster for 1.5 – 2 minutes.
If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please do leave a comment and rating.
Cheese & Chive Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Soured Cream
Impressive and luxurious, but surprisingly easy. Fluffy, cheesy and herby pancakes topped with lemon and chive soured cream plus thin slices of smoky salmon makes a wonderful weekend breakfast, special occasion brunch, lunch, or first course.
It's recommended that you read the accompanying blog post before starting the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 batch Cheese & Chive Pancakes (See Recipe Notes for recipe)
- 200 g smoked salmon (thinly sliced: remove from fridge 30 minutes before eating)
For the soured cream
- 200 ml soured cream
- Half a lemon juice and finely grated zest
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 pinch mild chilli flakes (optional)
- black pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
To serve (optional)
- black pepper
- chopped chives
- mild chilli flakes
- 4 handfuls rocket or other salad leaves
- 4 lemon wedges
Instructions
-
Put the soured cream in a small bowl then stir in the lemon juice and zest plus the chives. Season lightly with the chilli flakes, black pepper and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning then set aside.
-
Reheat the pancakes if necessary (see Recipe Notes below) and divide between 4 plates.
Spoon a generous amount of the flavoured soured cream over each pancake and top with smoked salmon.
Grind over some black pepper and sprinkle with chopped chives and chilli flakes.
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Divide the rocket leaves and lemon wedges between the plates and serve straight away with any remaining soured cream on the side.
Recipe Notes
Cheese & Chive Pancakes. Follow this recipe to make 12 - 16 pancakes, depending on how large you'd like them, and serve 3 - 4 per person. If you'd prefer plain pancakes, leave out the cheese and chives.
Reheating pancakes. The pancakes (without toppings) can be made in advance and stored covered in the fridge for 2 days or frozen. Can be reheated in batches in a microwave for a few seconds, in a toaster for 1.5 - 2 minutes, or in an oven: preheat to 180 C /160 Fan /Gas 4 / 350F and put the pancakes on a baking tray in a single layer, covered with foil. Cook for approximately 4 minutes or until hot.
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