Only the shells are baked. Rounds of pie crust are pressed into a mini muffin pan, docked and baked to golden, then cooled completely before anything goes inside.
The filling is cream cheese loosened with sour cream and sharpened with lemon zest, juice and chopped dill. Cold-smoked salmon, roe and a dill frond finish each one, and they go to the table chilled.
Ingredient Notes
- Cold-smoked salmon
- Six ounces cut into ribbons; it is ready to eat and is never cooked here.
- Salmon or trout roe
- Two tablespoons, a small spoonful per tartlet.
- Refrigerated pie crust or tart dough
- One sheet, cut into 12 rounds for the mini muffin pan.
How to Make It
Shells pressed and docked
Heat the oven to 375°F. Cut the pastry into 12 rounds, press them into a mini muffin pan and dock the bottoms with a fork.
Baked and cooled completely
Bake the shells 10 to 12 minutes, until golden, and cool completely before filling.
Filling stirred smooth
Stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped dill and black pepper until smooth.
Shells filled
Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture into the cooled tartlet shells.
Salmon, roe and dill
Top each tartlet with a folded ribbon of cold-smoked salmon, a small spoonful of roe and a dill frond. Serve chilled.
What Sits in Each Shell
Four layers, built only once the pastry is cold.
Roe and dill frond
A small spoonful of roe and one frond per tartlet.
Cold-smoked salmon
A folded ribbon, not a flat slice.
Lemon-dill cream cheese
Cream cheese with sour cream, lemon zest, juice, dill and pepper.
Baked pastry shell
Golden, docked and completely cooled.
Success Tips
- Chill the cut pastry rounds for a few minutes if the kitchen is warm, so they hold their shape in the pan.
- Pipe rather than spoon the filling if you want the salmon ribbon to sit level on top.
- Fold the salmon into loose ribbons instead of laying it flat, so each tartlet has height.
Why This Recipe Works
- Docking the pastry bases stops them puffing, so each shell keeps a well for the filling.
- Cooling the shells fully prevents the cream cheese from melting into the pastry.
- Sour cream loosens the cream cheese just enough to pipe cleanly.
- Lemon zest and dill cut the richness of smoked salmon and roe.
Serving Ideas
Arrange the tartlets on a cold platter and serve them straight from the refrigerator, with extra dill scattered around.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Keep the salmon, roe and assembled tartlets at 40°F or below. Fill the shells close to serving so the pastry stays crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the salmon cooked?
No. It is cold-smoked and added after the shells have cooled.
Is there a food-safety advisory?
Yes. Cold-smoked fish carries a listeria risk for pregnant people, older adults and immunocompromised people, and everything must stay at 40°F or below.
