BIČN KIČN Rijeka & Sacramento

BIČN KIČN Rijeka & Sacramento California Mexi-Spanglish Cooking with Croatian Ingredients. +Supermarket Beer & Wine Reviews!

Place: BIČN KIČN SacramentoOK- 3 week countdown to New Year so I guess it's time to reflect back on my 2025 Resolution: ...
09/12/2025

Place: BIČN KIČN Sacramento

OK- 3 week countdown to New Year so I guess it's time to reflect back on my 2025 Resolution: At Least One New Technique or Recipe per Month. Check! ( my next post will start recapping the year and preparing for the 2026 Resolution: Actually Start Posting! meaning learn how to plate and photograph)

December's goal was to take the first baby step into the world of cold smoked fish... in this case a 1lb slab of fresh Atlantic Salmon

Score
Taste: 6/10
but... from a cooking standpoint and the inevitable learning curve I'm stoked with the first time effort because #1 it's EDIBLE!!!
#2 I know what to change - the dry brine kosher salt to brown sugar ratio of 2:1 was a bit too salty but the 24 hours brine time was spot on. (Next time 1:1 salt to brown sugar)

This Weekends Blue Plate Special: Linguine, gorgonzola-sage sauce topped with lightly broiled smoked salmon with crispy edges, garnished with toasted walnuts. South African Chenin Blanc or...I'm diggin' this Chardonnay/ Viognier blend from TJ's!

June 30, 2025: BIČN KIČN (Sacramento, CA) I just realized I've been updating our weekly kitchen menu board for over 5 ye...
30/06/2025

June 30, 2025: BIČN KIČN (Sacramento, CA)

I just realized I've been updating our weekly kitchen menu board for over 5 years & we've been keeping a weekly dinner/shopping list for at least 15 years. Some weeks are just the "same ol'-same ol'" while others are inspired. This is one of those weeks (and we're only 2 days in!) I think I was just imagining sitting down in a restaurant, opening the menu and saying "Damn- too many choices!" (channeling my favorite restaurant of all time The Kitchen in Auburn, CA and Pat & Pete Enochs vision!)

- Arancini Timbales on Ajvar with Grilled Shrimp Skewers
( Arancini is risotto balls in bread crumbs , normally fried, but I will be baking them in a muffin tin and ajvar is a croatian sauce made from bell peppers, eggplant and garlic)

- Spring Rolls and French Fries with peanut sauce
It's 90F+ all week and this is one of my favorite combos

- Apricot Cous-Cous w/ Grilled Veg and Tofu Slabs marinated in Pumpkin Oil and Soy (I'm hooked on pumpkin oil - hard to describe but once you taste it - you're hooked for life)

- Tilapia y Judias Blancas w/ Saffron Au Jus
Made this last night - I splurged and used fresh Cod instead. The starch from the white beans (judias blancas) turns the normal saffron au jus into an amazing gravy and this is one of those "clean out the fridge" recipes... I used what I had left of artichoke hearts (4), kalamata olives (7), 1/2 of a crookneck squash and a couple celery stalks. Bam! Can't say it's the most photogenic, but it's an 11 on the umami scale!

- Roasted Beets marinated in Raspberry Vinaigrette on herb mix with goat cheese and toasted walnuts. With Taiwanese-style Green Onion Pancakes from TJ's
We normally have this with salmon or bread but I think this pairing is going to be the bomb.

Chow!

Ciao!

1 week left of cooking in Rijeka and I again find myself asking - How is ceviche not a thing in Croatia??? All the ingre...
08/06/2025

1 week left of cooking in Rijeka and I again find myself asking - How is ceviche not a thing in Croatia??? All the ingredients are there - except for cilantro aka coriander - but you can find it if you look for live plants or grow your own and a little parsley works in a pinch. For those who haven't had it - it's not raw. The fish is "cooked" by the citric acid of the limes - in this case it took less than 15 minutes, but I made it 4 hours before tonights dinner

125g (4 oz) Zubatac (or other firm white fish) bite size chunks
Juice of 4 limes
Red onions (thinly sliced)
Handful of cherry tomatoes small bite size
Equal amount of cucumber small bite size
1 Avocado cut similarly ( are you seeing a pattern here? One of each ingredient should fit together on a tortilla chip ensuring a "Perfect Bite" every time.)
2 cloves garlic - pressed
Jalapeno ( I usually don't add it when I am cooking here as some people consider black pepper too hot!)
Salt & pepper to taste

So I added one new ingredient that I had never thought of -
A "glug" of olive oil - and it Kicks Ass! It smoothes out the acidity and slightly changes the viscosity, think less vinegary, more vinaigrettey... a balance that just makes sense.

Will start the entree in a bit: Pupusas with local melty cheeses in 2 versions #1: Charred squash, butter and oregano #2 Charred shiitake mushrooms with a light soy sauce and smoked paprika marinade. (FYI: Amy's making the pupusas! I figure since she's better at rolling sushi, burritos and joints* - she's a natural for this job) *I am merely conjecturing here. I have no actual proof of this...I'm just sayin' the girl has wicked skills.

I made a curtido last night ( pickled cabbage, carrots and onions with oregano) and I'm thinking I'll do rice and peas timbales with a mild enchilada-type sauce of roasted/smoky yellow peppers and onions (pureed)

I'll be handling dessert duties... a baby Greek Cottage Cheesecake with macerated apricots soaked in Medici (sweet honey brandy). But right now it's time for a nap before the show begins.

Part 2 Paella SundayPart 2 is obviously way behind ( and possibly had nothing to do with the wine flowing early. At leas...
29/05/2025

Part 2 Paella Sunday

Part 2 is obviously way behind ( and possibly had nothing to do with the wine flowing early. At least according to me) Luckily I had people who sent me pics otherwise I'da been left with just mental snapshots and those are always kinda fuzzy.

Sunday was high-wire act for me because it was the first time I decided to start the paella on the stove and finish it in the oven - the reason being I was using such a large pan (6-person) that getting coverage on the burners requires a constant whirling dervish-type of dance. And I'm a convert - I did put it back on the burners to ensure I had a decent "socarrat" another of the 7 Pillars of Paella. It's the crispy, golden-brown, slightly charred layer of rice that forms at the bottom of a paella pan.

The zabutac/dentex wasn't my favorite because it was nowhere near as firm as advertised and deboning took a mighty effort. I prefer a halibut or even cod type of flakiness and this was more akin to tilapia lending itself perfectly to fish tacos on Monday night.

All in all I'd rate it a 7/10 on the Bičn Kičnista Scale. I just ordered real bomba rice from Spain and I think I need a little more practice as I'm lucky if I make it twice a year but I've got so many cool people to cook with and for while I'm here I'm thinking it may be one of my "Go -To's" People seem to dig it.

Thanks to Nikolina and Jorma, Ramiz and Orson and my kičn mate for life, Amy for a wunnerful evening.

Part 1 of a Day Long Series: It's Paella Sunday in the River City (Rijeka) and the Kičn doesn't open for another 7 hours...
25/05/2025

Part 1 of a Day Long Series:

It's Paella Sunday in the River City (Rijeka) and the Kičn doesn't open for another 7 hours but I decided to do something different today... Prep ahead of time! (actually not true, my life is a constant prep) but I don't usually start 9 hours ahead, it's one of the only benefits of 9-hour jet lag.

Our guest of honor tonight (other than my awesome dinner guests) is Mr. Zubatac (Dentex in US... and that's the name of the fish not a brand of toothpaste.) It's my first culinary experience with him and I understand he's delicious.

Sofrito time (one of the 6-7 Pillars of Paella Delicioso!) guess it's time to open the first bottle of vino blanco... Strictly for cooking of course.

If You Know, You Know. Plantains fryin' up. With black beans and cajun shrimp. Recipe stolen from one of my old stomping...
28/02/2025

If You Know, You Know.

Plantains fryin' up. With black beans and cajun shrimp. Recipe stolen from one of my old stomping grounds Cafe Cha Cha Cha in San Francisco. Anyone know where to buy "trputac" in Rijeka? (or if people will even know what the heck it is?)

Plantains. If You Know....You Know.
28/02/2025

Plantains. If You Know....You Know.

My friends know I'm a Chili Head so they brought me a sample pack of Croatia's flagship brand "Volim Ljuto (I like it h...
22/12/2024

My friends know I'm a Chili Head so they brought me a sample pack of Croatia's flagship brand "Volim Ljuto (I like it hot) and in return I made them their first Gumbo! ( shrimp, calamari and bakalar. Okra's not a thing here but the holy trinity of bell peppers, celery and onion was readily available and combined with a toast roux...it was pretty damn good) It was already a little too spicy for their delicate taste buds so I got to use the hot sauce all for myself. Washed it down with a few IPA's and a bicn night was had by all!

Address

Art Kvart Potok
Rijeka
51000

Telephone

+385996701628

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when BIČN KIČN Rijeka & Sacramento posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to BIČN KIČN Rijeka & Sacramento:

Shortcuts

Share

Category