Caviar Tartine: The Parisian Way

By Beleaev Family | Beleaev Caviar & Gourmet | beleaev.com

The French tartine is the open-faced sandwich format that's been a Parisian café staple for 100 years. With caviar, it becomes the simplest possible luxury snack: toasted baguette, salted butter, generous Oscietra. Five minutes, three ingredients.

The Parisian version uses lightly salted Normandy butter instead of unsalted, which is heretical to British purists but correct for this dish. The salt in the butter rounds out the brininess of the caviar.

Key Takeaways

• Use proper baguette, ideally from a French boulangerie
• Toast slices on the diagonal, around 2cm thick
• Salted Normandy butter (heretical but correct)
• 8-10g of [Oscietra](https://beleaev.com/products/royal-oscietra-caviar-copy) per tartine
• Eat in 2 bites, eyes closed if possible

The Ingredients

Makes 6 tartines, serves 3

• 1 fresh baguette
• 30g lightly salted Normandy butter
• 50-60g Royal Oscietra
• A few flakes of Maldon sea salt
• 1 lemon, halved (decorative)

The Method

Step 1: Cut and Toast

Slice the baguette on a diagonal, around 2cm thick. Toast under a hot grill until deep golden brown on both sides.

Step 2: Butter Generously

While still hot, spread the salted butter generously. Aim for 4-5g per tartine. The bottom layer melts into the bread, the top stays slightly cool.

Step 3: Top with Caviar

Wait 30 seconds for the bread to cool below 60C. Spoon 8-10g of Oscietra onto each tartine. Don't spread it flat. Add a flake of sea salt. Serve immediately with lemon halves on the plate (decorative only, don't squeeze).

Tips for Getting It Right

Proper baguette matters. Get one from a French bakery, ideally that morning. Supermarket "baguette" is usually too pale, too soft, and lacks the proper crust.

Salted butter, not unsalted. The Normandy salted butter is the textbook Parisian choice for this dish. Avoid English salted butter, the salt content is different.

Don't squeeze the lemon. The lemon halves are decorative. Lemon juice destroys caviar's delicate flavour.

Eat in 2 bites. The tartine format is designed for 2-bite eating. Smaller pieces lose the architecture. Larger pieces are awkward.

Variations and Pairings

With Beluga: Use 50g of Beluga XXL divided across 6 tartines.

With unsalted butter: For purists, swap the salted butter for unsalted and add a slightly larger pinch of sea salt at the end.

With chives: Add a tiny scatter of finely sliced chives. Slightly modernising.

Wine pairing: A chilled glass of Sancerre or champagne. A Parisian café might offer a chilled white wine by the glass; it works.

For more canapé ideas, see our caviar on toast and oscietra caviar canapé recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a tartine different from a canapé?

A tartine is a slightly larger open-faced piece of bread, often diagonal-cut from a baguette. A canapé is smaller, usually bite-sized. The tartine is for sit-down lunches or snacks, the canapé for cocktail parties.

What's special about Normandy butter?

Normandy salted butter (Beurre d'Isigny, Échiré demi-sel) has a higher butterfat content (84%) and a specific salt level that's perfect for this dish. The flavour is denser and the texture more luxurious than UK supermarket butter.

How many tartines per person?

For lunch, 2 tartines per person with a glass of wine and a small salad. For an apéro, 1 tartine per person alongside other small items.

Can I use day-old baguette?

Yes. Day-old baguette toasts up beautifully. Fresh baguette is softer and slightly harder to slice cleanly.

Further Reading

• The history of the French tartine (Saveur)
• Beurre d'Isigny tradition (BBC Travel)

A caviar tartine on a Saturday afternoon, with a glass of cold Sancerre, is the simplest possible Parisian luxury. Discover Beleaev's caviar collection at beleaev.com.

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