Quick Smoked Salmon Tart
Updated April 23, 2024
Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
½ cup thinly sliced red onion (about ½ small onion)
Salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 frozen puff pastry sheet (9 to 14 ounces; brands vary), thawed
1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
4 to 6 ounces sliced smoked salmon
1 to 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon capers, drained
Fresh dill or parsley or both, for serving
Lemon wedges for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
8 grams carbs; 42 milligrams cholesterol; 204 calories; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 374 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowI, toss onion with a pinch of salt, then add vinegar and toss again. Set aside, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve.
- Step 2
Line a sheet pan with parchment and lay the pastry on top. With a fork, vigorously poke the pastry, deeply, from edge to edge. This will help it to remain flaky but not puffy (eliminating the potential for air pockets), so the toppings may be easily layered on later.
- Step 3
Place the sheet pan on the middle rack and bake the pastry until golden and flaky, 17 to 20 minutes. (It will rise slightly, but should deflate. If it doesn’t, gently poke a hole and press down lightly on any air pockets). Let cool completely.
- Step 4
When pastry is cool, spread sour cream over the surface like sauce on a pizza. Top with the salmon, cucumber, capers, dill and drained pickled onion. Spritz with lemon and season with pepper. Cut into squares to serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Though I respect the author's choice of sour cream, I might use goat chevre blended with capers in a processor [to make it more spreadable]. Chevre is healthier than sour cream and is quite fantastic with smoked salmon. Yes, I will also make this for a gathering!
I precut the puff pastry into serving portions before baking. This is excellent as an appetizer or a main.
I made two sheets of this at the same time. From reading comments I made three small changes: rolled the dough a bit thinner, used a 50/50 mix of sour cream and whipped cream cheese, and sprinkled a bit of everything bagel seasoning on the final product. Once cooled I assembled both tarts. The first tart then went to a gathering and the second spent 24 hours in the frig. Though both tarts were gobbled down, the way to go is clearly to refrigerate the tart! It was easier to cut and easier to eat and the flavors had melded nicely. After serving the non-refrigerated version I gave this recipe a 4-star review. But after serving the refrigerated version I bumped the review to 5 stars and will make this again. It’s better made ahead. No need for cutting the dough into individual servings if you are going to refrigerate they finished tart before cutting. And for those that asked: rolling the dough thinner and topping the pastry well ahead did NOT make it too thin or soggy. It held up well. This recipe is going in the rotation.
This was a big hit at my Summer Solstice brunch party. It's helpful to have a dish this GOOD that you can prepare hours ahead and refrigerate, freeing you to do last-minute tasks. A combination of crème fraîche and cream cheese worked well. I used freshly made puff pastry from Costco. The few leftovers I had were still yummy two days later. I'll be making this again!
The choice of puff pastry isn’t the best idea. It’s too bland and too flaky to hold up. The toppings are great, but they need to be on something more substantial and tasty. I was very disappointed with this recipe. It was bland and the texture of the pastry was just annoying. I threw it out.
Puff pastry stays pretty puffed. We used Boursin for spread. It is a nice presentation for minimal work. People gobbled it up! Leftover pickled onions are a nice addition to a potato salad, meat, etc.