The salmon puff pastry pinwheels are a quick and accessible appetizer that can be prepared in minutes with only three basic ingredients: rectangular puff pastry, smoked salmon, and a bit of cream cheese or other spreadable cheese. Like many other recipes with smoked salmon, these savory puff pastry pinwheels are perfect for the upcoming Christmas holidays: ideal for a fish dinner like the Christmas Eve dinner, they are also great as a snack for an aperitif, served with a nice glass of chilled prosecco, perhaps for New Year’s Eve.
Preparing the salmon puff pastry pinwheels is easy and quick: spread the cream cheese on the puff pastry, place the salmon slices on top, and form a roll. To make your pinwheels easier to slice, it’s helpful to let the roll rest in the fridge for about half an hour, so it hardens and compacts a bit. To make the savory pinwheels more appetizing, you can briefly brush them with egg and decorate with sesame seeds. Crispy and flavorful, the salmon puff pastry pinwheels will become your ace in the hole to impress with minimal effort in any situation!
You might also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12 pinwheels
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for 12 savory puff pastry pinwheels
If you are celiac, you can make the recipe using gluten-free puff pastry; if you don’t find the rectangular one, you can also use the round one: the pinwheels from the two ends will be slightly smaller but still good.
- 1 roll puff pastry (rectangular)
- 3.5 oz cream cheese (or other spreadable cheese)
- 3.5 oz smoked salmon
- 1 egg
- as needed sesame seeds
Tools
- 1 Knife sharp, smooth blade
- 1 Baking Tray
- 2 Small Bowls
- 1 Pastry Brush
How to prepare savory puff pastry pinwheels with smoked salmon
To prepare the salmon puff pastry pinwheels, start by unrolling the puff pastry. Spread the cream cheese on it, forming a thin layer that covers all the puff pastry and leaves only a few millimeters free along the two shorter sides (1).
Lay the slices of smoked salmon on top, without overlapping them (2). It’s best not to overfill the puff pastry, as the filling may spill out when you roll and cut it.
Roll the puff pastry onto itself, starting from one of the shorter sides and pressing lightly to compact and seal it (3).
Once the roll is formed (4), wrap it in parchment paper (you can use the one in which the puff pastry is wrapped in its package) and place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to cut the pinwheels later, as the roll will have time to compact and harden a bit.
After the rest time, take the roll out of the fridge, remove the parchment paper, and equip yourself with a sharp, smooth-bladed knife. Use it to cut the roll into slices about 0.4 inches thick (5). If the pinwheels get a little squished as you cut them, you can briefly reshape them with your hands.
If you want to decorate the pinwheels with sesame seeds, proceed as follows: pour a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds into a small bowl; in another small bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then brush the pinwheels one by one only on the outer edges with a brush (6).
Then press them onto the sesame seeds to make them stick to the edges (7). As they are ready, place the salmon puff pastry pinwheels on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (8).
Bake them in a preheated oven at 390°F (static) for 15-20 minutes, until they are puffed and slightly golden (9). Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tray.
You can serve the salmon puff pastry pinwheels either warm or cold. They are great as an appetizer or as a snack for aperitif time.
Storage
You can store the salmon pinwheels in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
Do not add salt in the preparation: smoked salmon is already sufficiently salty, even considering that during cooking it tends to lose a bit of water and thus become even more flavorful.
The addition of sesame seeds is optional, but besides making the puff pastry pinwheels more visually appealing, it gives them greater crunchiness and a flavor that pairs well with the salmon.
FAQs
What can I substitute for cream cheese?
For this preparation, you can use the spreadable cheese of your choice: ricotta or Philadelphia for a milder flavor, goat cheese or stracchino to give the pinwheels a more tangy touch.
How can I fill the savory pinwheels?
With this same recipe and procedure, you can make puff pastry pinwheels with many different flavors, simply by replacing the salmon with another ingredient: mortadella, cooked ham, speck, salami, rolled pancetta, or grilled vegetables.
