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The Imperial Cut
Balik salmon
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High in the mountains and vales of eastern Switzerland is a 300-year-old farmhouse that is home to the most treasured and guarded secret in the world of luxury food: the balik smoked salmon cut.
With the demise of the final tsarist family in 1918, this prized Russian recipe, which had been the pride of the Imperial Court, was thought to have vanished into obscurity along with countless other cultural traditions of the nation’s golden era. Yet, a chance meeting six decades later and some hundreds of kilometres away in Central Europe would see the balik cut rise again to global prominence in a new location, but using the exacting, traditional methods of Russian artisans who had perfected the style centuries earlier.
In 1978, stage actor and director Hans Gerd Kübel found himself in conversation with Israel Kaplan, a descendent of the last great balik purveyor to the Imperial Court. Whether it was clever persuasion, a mere sharing of grandiose stories or perhaps a few too many glasses of Berlin’s beers that lead to Kaplan’s divulging of balik savoir-faire, the two men would ultimately leave the German capital and impart on a journey that would see the resurrection of the world’s most mysterious seafood product.
Salmon from the fjords of Norway travels to the alpine landscape of Ebersol in Switzerland where, in the crisp air; dense, lush forests; and pure spring water, the succulent back fillets are delicately cold smoked, salted and sliced to the finest degree.
Switzerland might be a country virtually free of fishing tradition, but the combination of its enviable natural surroundings and resources, as well as meticulous dedication to creating the perfect taste and texture, make Kübel’s farmhouse an icon in the luxury food industry, even if its business set-up is a little unusual.
The formula remains as coveted as ever and the collaboration between the balik farmhouse and its proprietor Caviar House & Prunier remains the sole, genuine producer of the delicacy worldwide (both parties claim that balik salmon is the most imitated and falsified luxury food on the market today).
Whether served on the plates of European royalty or exquisitely presented on board a superyacht, we liaise directly with certified suppliers of delicious balik salmon to bring our clients the freshest and most sumptuous flavours available, from quintessential whole cuts and Scandinavian-inspired Sjomga salmon belly to creamy balik tartar and lightly salted, gleaming balik pearls.
Get in contact with your Client Manager to discuss the options of ordering this seasonal, gourmet rarity.
www.shoresolutions.fr fish & seafood