These delicious Smoked Salmon Appetizers are the best ones you'll ever taste, featuring a crispy puff pastry base and a tasty and creamy salmon mixture on top!
1small - garlic clove(one drop of freshly ground or pressed garlic juice)
Pastry Egg wash and Seasoning Ingredients
2tbsp.– water(room temperature)
1large – egg(I used home-raised chicken eggs)
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Instructions
How to Prep Puff Pastry Sheets for Salmon Appetizer
Let’s prep the puff pastry sheet to start off with! First, let’s make the egg wash. To do this, whisk together egg and water in a small bowl and set it aside until ready for use.
Next, preheat the oven to 400 F (or 205 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. I personally like to grease the baking sheet I'm using with butter so the parchment paper stays on better.
Now, use a pizza cutter to cut each pastry sheet into 2-inch squares. Then use a knife to slightly imprint a border around each square without cutting completely through the dough.
You can use a fork and poke lots of holes in the middle of each pastry square instead, whichever method you prefer more. This will prevent the pastry dough from puffing up too much.
Now use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash all over the top of all the puff pastry squares.
Next, sprinkle the pastry squares with the desired amount of Everything Bagel Seasoning so an extra kick of flavor!
How to Bake Salmon Appetizers
Now transfer the pastry squares onto the baking sheet that you lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes or until they turn light golden brown in color.
Once done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and while it is hot, use a spatula to gently flatten the squares a bit if they puffed up way too much.
Next, use a measuring spoon that’s one inch in diameter to further press the pastry down in the center of each square to create a little crater for the cream mixture.
Set aside and cool completely before piping on the cream mixture.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Filling
Now, using a hand mixer beat softened cream cheese until it’s smooth. Add mayonnaise and beat again until well combined and smooth in texture.
Next, add half of the smoked and mashed salmon. You’ll notice that the wild salmon meat can be quite tough sometimes, so I prefer to mash it with a fork before adding it to the cream. Only add half of the smoked salmon as we’ll be reserving the rest of it to garnish our appetizers.
Now add garlic juice (pressed from one small garlic clove), freshly ground black pepper, and sea salt to taste into the bowl.
Beat everything together once more for a minute or until everything is well combined and incorporated. Scrape the side of the bowl using a silicone spatula halfway through mixing.
Next, add freshly chopped dill and mix just until combined for 5 seconds or so.
How to Assemble Smoked Salmon Appetizers
Time to put it all together! Once the pastry squares are cooled, fill a reusable piping bag with a 1M attachment and pipe about a teaspoon of the cream filling into the center of each pastry.
Now cut small strips of smoked salmon (reserved from earlier) and roll them into tiny rose shapes and place one in the center of each piped salmon cream cheese filling. Garnish your appetizers with fresh dill.
Chill your delicious smoked salmon appetizers for an hour or so before serving. Time to enjoy these seriously, unspeakably tasty mouth poppers!