Crunchy Waffles with Sour Cream & Salmon Roe

Crunchy waffles with sour cream and salmon roe are thin, buttery and wafer-crisp, finished with red onion and dill. The batter takes a few minutes to mix and is ready after a short rest. Serve them as an appetizer or a brunch plate.

Crunchy Waffles with Sour Cream & Salmon Roe

Waffles with sour cream and salmon roe: thin, buttery, crunchy waffles topped with red onion and dill.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Resting 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 16 waffles

Course: Appetizer, brunch, Lunch

Cuisine: Norwegian, Scandinavian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Batter

• 280 g all-purpose flour 2⅓ cups
• 4 g baking powder 1 tsp, level
• 3 g fine salt ½ tsp, level
• 600 ml water 2½ cups
• 250 g butter 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp, melted and cooled

Topping

• 400 g sour cream 1⅔ cups; about 5 tsp per waffle
• 640 g salmon roe about 22½ oz; 40 g per waffle
• 2 small red onions sliced paper-thin
• 4 sprigs fresh dill picked into small fronds

Equipment

• Heart waffle iron Shallow-grid plates bake this thin batter into lacy, crunchy waffles.
• Large bowl and whisk For a smooth, thin batter.
• Ladle For pouring the right amount of batter onto the iron.
• Small saucepan To melt the butter.
• Wire rack Cooling the waffles in a single layer keeps them crunchy.
• Sharp knife For slicing the red onion paper-thin.

Method

 

1. Make the batter. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and whisk about 1 minute, until smooth and lump-free; it will be as thin as cream. Whisk in the cooled butter.
2. Rest. Let the batter stand at least 15 minutes, until the surface is dotted with tiny bubbles. Whisk again before using.
3. Heat the iron. Preheat the waffle iron until fully hot.
4. Bake. Pour in just enough batter to cover the plate. Bake about 3 minutes, until golden.
5. Cool. Move each waffle to a wire rack in a single layer and let it crisp up for 5 minutes, until it feels dry and holds its shape when lifted. Don't stack them.
6. Top. Just before serving, spoon five small dollops of sour cream (about 1 tsp each) around each waffle. Add the roe, a few slices of red onion and a few small dill fronds.

Notes

Chef’s tip — Whisk the batter before every waffle. The melted butter separates as the batter stands, and a quick whisk keeps every waffle the same.

Toppings: The amounts in the list are to taste, so scale them up or down to suit the occasion.

Sour cream: Use crème fraîche or the richest sour cream you can find. Lean sour cream runs instead of holding a dollop.

Food safety: Salmon roe is sold cured and ready to eat. Keep it refrigerated and use it by the date on the jar.

Why these waffles bake so crunchy

There’s no milk, egg or sugar in this batter: just flour, water, a little baking powder and salt, and almost as much butter as flour. Without milk sugars the waffles bake pale rather than dark, and the butter turns the surface crunchy rather than soft. If you want an even more brittle bite, our crispy Norwegian waffles add potato starch.

The iron matters too. A Norwegian-style heart iron bakes this batter thin enough to crisp, while a deep Belgian grid gives a thicker, softer waffle. Let the baked waffles cool on a wire rack so the steam escapes, and keep the toppings for the last minute, since the sour cream softens the waffle as it sits.

Serving waffles with sour cream and salmon roe

Spoon the sour cream on in five small dollops rather than one big one, so every bite gets a little of everything. Roe can stick together a little in the jar, and a few drops of cold water help the eggs separate more easily.

Because the batter keeps, you can mix it the night before and the only job left on the day is baking. Want something heartier? Our savory waffles with smoked salmon make a full meal. Use a heart-shaped iron with a shallow grid if you can: thin plates are what turn this thin batter into lacy, crunchy waffles. Here’s how to choose and clean one.

Make it your own

• Roe: Use whichever you like best. Salmon roe is our pick here, but the waffles take any.
• Flavored sour cream: Stir in chopped chives or a little freshly ground black pepper.
• Dry-cured ham: Use thin slices instead of the roe, and perilla (shiso) leaves instead of dill.
• Cured or air-dried meat: Flavor the sour cream with a few crushed juniper berries as a spice. For something fresher, fold in a few blueberries just before serving.

More Nordic bakes you’ll love

• Norwegian Waffles with Cardamom — the sweet classic, served with brunost and jam
• Sourdough Waffles — a good use for discard, with a tang these don’t have
• Krumkake — Norwegian Waffle Cookies — the Christmas cousin, rolled thin and crisp on a patterned iron