Salmon Puffs
Delightful salmon and feta cheese filling wrapped in puff pastry. I have substituted spinach and cooked tiny shrimp for salmon in this recipe too.
Delightful salmon and feta cheese filling wrapped in puff pastry. I have substituted spinach and cooked tiny shrimp for salmon in this recipe too.
- Carbohydrate 1.82622471364722 g
- Cholesterol 81.7883741435 mg
- Fat 12.298886978066 g
- Fiber 0.0183013496658601 g
- Protein 23.6877508843126 g
- Saturated Fat 7.09146444015245 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (75g)
- Sodium 495.913021008344 mg
- Sugar 1.80792336398136 g
- Trans Fat 0.864175943756235 g
- Calories 212 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine smoked salmon, feta cheese, black pepper and garlic.
- Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface to form a 12x12 inch sheet. Cut sheet into 16 3x3 inch squares. Place a spoonful of salmon filling in the center of each square. Pull together corners of each square to form 16 small packets. Brush packets with egg whites and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven until packets are golden, about 20minutes. Serve warm.
The ingredient list fails to mention that frozen puff pastry requires precise temperature management from package removal to oven insertion, otherwise the butter melts prematurely and ruins the flakiness. Pastry dough must remain cold, meaning if the dough turns warm and pliable while cutting the sixteen three-inch squares, slide the unbaked packets into the refrigerator for ten minutes before applying the egg white wash. Smoked salmon releases moisture when heated, and pairing it with briny feta cheese creates a dense filling that can easily steam the interior of the pastry from the inside out if the oven is not fully preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Achieving the ideal contrast between crisp exterior layers and a warm, savory interior depends entirely on maintaining thermal shock between the cold butter laminations and the hot oven air.
Controlling Temperature and Moisture
Baking these packets on parchment paper-lined sheets for approximately twenty minutes yields a golden-brown exterior, but watching the visual cue of puffed, opaque pastry is more reliable than strictly following the timer. Because smoked salmon varies widely in salt content and moisture level, chopping the fish finely ensures the filling distributes evenly without creating heavy pockets that weigh down the rise of the dough.
- Keep the puff pastry in the refrigerator until the exact moment of rolling to prevent butter leakage.
- Use a sharp chef knife rather than a dull blade when cutting the dough to avoid sealing the laminated edges together, which blocks proper expansion.
- Monitor the oven closely during the final five minutes of the twenty-minute bake to prevent the exposed cheese tips from burning.
