A fun appetizer, these puff pastry salmon hamentashen are baked in an iconic triangular shape, just perfect for the Purim seudah!

Yes, I like to be super cliched when it comes to Purim — if I can make it in the shape of a hamentash, why not? This simple but delicious recipe is easy to make and can be made in advance and frozen. I like to make a big batch of them and take them out to use as needed. Last year, I served them on the Friday nights of Chodesh Adar and had plenty for the Purim seudah as well.

I have a thing for puff pastry. It is so easy to work with and no matter what you make with it, it seems fancy. Puff pastry is also very forgiving. If you don’t shape it perfectly, it will still look nice.

Over the years, I have tried many different brands of puff pastry and I always come back to Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets. This brand just has the best flavor and texture. They come two in a pack, so it’s great if I am bulk baking or cooking for a crowd, or I will just stick one sheet back in the freezer for the next time I need it.

I have made this dish two ways. I have used high quality, boneless, skinless canned salmon (Costco’s Kirkland brand makes a great one, as well as Trader Joe’s) or I’ve used fresh salmon filet cut into cubes. To be honest, it comes out a lot better with fresh salmon cubes. The buttery flavor and texture of the fresh salmon paired with the savory flavors in the filling and the crispy puff pastry just make for the best dish ever. However, there have been many times that I’ve used canned salmon (as long as it’s good quality) and my family and guests were perfectly happy with it.

Which brings me to what I always tell my audiences at food demos or new cooks: NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR FOOD! If I brought these delicious salmon hamentashen to the table and started saying how sorry I wasthat I didn’t use real salmon, but I had to use canned salmon because the real stuff wasn’t in the budget, etc. etc., it would sound absurd. I promise no one will know this recipe was supposed to be made with a different kind of salmon if you use the canned. (If you want a similar recipe that specifically uses canned salmon, you can try my mini salmon knishes.)

The filling for this can be prepared up to one day in advance and left covered in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and bake. The baked hamentashen can be frozen and defrosted as needed.

I like to serve these salmon hamentashen as individual appetizers drizzled with spicy mayo. You can also serve them on a big platter with a dip bowl filled with spicy mayo on the side. You can even shape the whole thing into a log by making it deli roll style (see recipe) if you don’t want to be busy with individual hamantashen or if you’re not making them for Purim.

I always bake these on my REAL cookie sheets. I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record but using them really does make a difference, especially when baking puff pastry. The real pans really help the pastry crisp up.

salmon hamentashen drzzled with spicy mayo

Salmon Hamentashen Appetizer

This easy appetizer in an iconic triangular shape is perfect for your Purim seudah!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. salmon, cut into ¼-inch cubes (or 2 6-oz. cans boneless, skinless salmon)
Zest of 2 limes (about 4 teaspoons)
Juice of 1 lime (about 1½ tablespoons)
⅓ jalapeno, finely diced (you can add more if you like it spicy)
1 handful fresh parsley, about ¼ cup, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
4 cloves garlic, crushed (or 4 frozen cubes)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Spicy mayo, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a bowl, mix salmon with lime zest and juice, jalapeno, parsley, garlic, and sesame oil.
Roll out a puff pastry sheet so it’s somewhat bigger and thinner. Cut into 9 squares. Using the rim of a cup or a ramekin, cut out a circle shape from each square. You can spray the rim so the dough doesn’t stick.
Place about 1 tablespoon salmon mixture in the center of each puff pastry circle.
Pinch the top and then the bottom sides into corners, forming a hamentashen shape. Place on a lined baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Repeat with second puff pastry sheet.
Bake hamentashen in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Drizzle spicy mayo over hamentashen before serving, if you’d like.

Notes

Variation: Instead of making individual hamentashen, you can make this as a salmon log. Roll out one puff pastry sheet and top with filling. Roll up deli roll style and place on a lined cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Tip: For easy rolling, place defrosted dough in the microwave for 10-12 seconds.

Can be made in advance and frozen.