How to make Salmon pastry boats

Salmon pastry boats as an appetizer or as an entrée, is an easy but flavorful recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• ⅝ lb puff pastry , frozen
• 1 head endive
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 5 oz salmon
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch dill
• 8 slices smoked salmon
• 1 ½ tablespoons oil 

METHOD:

1. Defrost the pastry dough at room temperature. Spread out the dough and cut out ovals from half of the dough. Place the ovals in small tart molds, moistened with a little water.
2. Cut out an equal number of ovals, but slightly smaller, from the remaining dough. You will use these to cover the little salmon boats.
3. Trim the endive and cut into thin slices. Place in a pan with 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.
4. Put the salmon in a blender with a little cream, a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper.
5. Divide the salmon cream between the tarts. Place the endive on top and on top of it a slice of smoked salmon. Add a little dill and then cover with the dough ovals. Seal the edges well. Make a couple of incisions on the top, lengthwise, then brush the dough with a beaten egg and cook for 20 minutes in a 400° F oven.
6. Salmon pastry boats is now ready to be served!

History of the dish

Salmon is a delicious fish, with a very delicate taste and soft meat and extraordinary nutritional characteristics: it’s rich in protein and omega 3, with a low percentage of fat. This elements are typical of fresh salmon but, although more common to find on the market, are partially lost in the smoked salmon.

The process of smoking a salmon can be done in different ways: a cold smoking (the salmon is boned and covered with sugar) in aromatic wood boxes, for at least 12 hours and at no higher temperature than 68° C. The warm smoking is done without sugar and at high temperatures (248°/356° F) for about 3 ½ hours.

Nowadays is not easy to find “wild salmon” and that’s the reason why salmon of the highest quality is difficult to obtain.