Salmon appetizers
Prep Time 30 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes 
Servings 30 bitesIngredients
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry about 250–300g
- 300 gr smoked salmon
- 150 gr garlic and herbs soft cheese
- olive oil also for glazing
- 1 egg yolk for glazing
- black sesame seeds for sprinkling, optional but classic
- white esame seeds for sprinkling, optional but classic
Equipment
Instructions
1. Prep and preheat
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, gas mark 6) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Build the puff pastry
- Unroll your puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and slice it in half to create two equal rectangles, then lay a thin layer of the garlic and herb soft cheese and the smoked salmon evenly over one half of the pastry, making sure it covers the surface right up to the edges. Carefully place the second half of the pastry on top, pressing down gently to seal everything together and smoothing out any air bubbles as you go.
3. Cut, glaze and sprinkle
- With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the layered pastry into strips, then into rectangles or squares. Leave the rectangles on the tray, there’s no need to separate them before baking. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of olive oil and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle over the black and white sesame seeds for that classic bakery look and a bit of crunch.
4. Bake and serve
- Pop the tray into a preheated oven at 200°C (fan 180°C, gas mark 6) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastries are golden, crisp, and beautifully puffed up. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then gently cut them apart, they’ll come away with crisp, golden edges. Serve warm or at room temperature for a stylish snack or apéro nibble.
Notes
- For a crowd-pleasing twist, whip up a quick cream cheese and chive dip to serve alongside your feuilletés. Simply mix together some full-fat cream cheese with a handful of finely chopped fresh chives, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of black pepper. This creamy, herby dip is the perfect partner for the smoky salmon and crisp pastry, and it’ll make your nibbles feel extra special. You could even pipe or dollop a little onto each rectangle just before serving for a touch of restaurant-style flair!
- Best eaten fresh, but leftovers are lovely cold the next day with a squeeze of lemon.
About this recipe
These smoked salmon appetizers came to us the way the best recipes do in French villages: through a neighbour at her table for apéro. When I asked for the recipe I didn’t expect it to be so simple. She made them alongside her homemade bay leaf liqueur and it was just perfect. I’ve been making them ever since!
Puff pastry in French cooking
These salmon appetizers are built on puff pastry, and puff pastry has one of the longer histories of any technique in French cuisine. The oldest known reference to layered pastry in France goes back to a charter by Robert, bishop of Amiens, in 1311. The technique of folding butter into dough repeatedly to create hundreds of distinct layers was refined through the 17th century, with French pastry chefs developing and standardising the method that’s still used today.
Antonin Carême, the early 19th century chef who codified much of classical French pastry, treated puff pastry as a foundation rather than a speciality. It was the base from which dozens of preparations grew, sweet and savoury, large and small. The vol-au-vent, the mille-feuille, tarte tatin and Galette des Rois. All variations on the same principle of laminated dough that shatters when you bite through it.
Using puff pastry for savoury fillings has been common in France for centuries. The combination with smoked salmon is more recent, reflecting the popularity of smoked fish in French gastronomy from the mid-20th century onwards. But the technique is entirely traditional.
Why smoked salmon starters work so well
Smoked salmon has a richness and a saltiness that pairs really naturally with buttery puff pastry. The two have complementary flavours rather than competing ones, which is why smoked salmon starters made with puff pastry turn up at French gatherings so regularly. Add garlic and herb soft cheese for creaminess, and you have something that tastes considerably more considered than the effort involved.
Bite-sized
The size matters too. These are individual portions, small enough to eat in one or two bites without a plate. That’s the reason it’s the best for apéritif food in France: manageable, easy to pass around, and good enough to keep people happy while the drinks are poured and the conversation gets going.
Getting the pastry right
The key to good puff pastry bites is keeping everything cold throughout. Warm hands, a warm kitchen, and warm pastry all work against you. The butter in the pastry needs to stay in distinct layers rather than melting into the dough before it hits the oven. When it stays cold and hits the heat, it creates steam that pushes the layers apart and gives you that characteristic rise and shatter.
Work quickly, roll the pastry on a cold surface, and if the kitchen is warm, chill the shaped bites in the fridge for fifteen minutes before baking. That rest sets the butter back into the layers and gives you a much better result.
How to bake smoked salmon bites
For smoked salmon appetizers made from puff pastry, a flat, even baking tray that gets properly hot is what gives you that crisp, golden base. Paired with a perforated baking mat, I can guarantee you beautiful crisp top and bottom puff pastry! On top of that, the baking mat prevents sticking without adding extra fat so you can make these smoked salmon appetizer without feeling guilty.
How to eat salmon appetizers
Serve these warm, straight from the oven, when the pastry is at its crispiest. They can be made ahead and reheated slowly in the oven for five minutes, which makes them really practical for when you’re cooking for a crowd. A tray of these coming out of the oven just as guests arrive is one of the better ways to start a French evening!
Share your feedback and spread the love!
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Leave a ★★★★★ rating and your thoughts in the comments, it helps fellow French foodies discover this recipe too. Snap a photo and tag @obviously.french on Instagram. Come talk about it in our Facebook group. And don’t forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you’ll always have it handy for your next French-inspired meal!
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