Salmon En Croute Filo Pastry Recipes

SALMON & LEEK PARCELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the leeks into a large saucepan with 3 tbsp water and a couple of knobs of butter. Cover, then cook for 10 mins until tender. Remove from the pan, allow to cool, then mix with the crème fraîche and some seasoning.
• To assemble the parcels, brush a sheet of pastry with melted butter, then lay 2 more sheets on top, brushing butter between each layer. Place a salmon fillet in the centre, season, then spoon over half the leek mix. Fold the ends over the top, pull up the sides and scrunch together to enclose. Repeat.
• Brush both the parcels with melted butter. Put onto a lightly greased baking sheet, then cook for 20-25 mins until browned and crisp. Delicious served with a green salad.

SALMON EN CROûTE

Steps:

• Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic, then place in a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the butter. Pick in the oregano leaves and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add the spinach and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated, still stirring regularly. Remove from the heat, taste, season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: wash, trim and finely slice the leek, then place in a large pan on a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, the remaining butter and the sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, or until sweet and tender, stirring regularly.
• Pour in the wine and let it bubble and cook away, then stir in the flour and, splash by splash, stir in the milk. Leave it to simmer for 5 minutes, then liquidize in a blender until silky smooth.
• Grate in the cheese, add a pinch of cayenne and blitz again to combine. Taste and season to perfection, then leave to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7 and place a large baking sheet inside to heat up.
• On a large sheet of flour-dusted greaseproof paper, roll out the pastry so it's 10cm bigger than your salmon all the way round.
• Pour away any excess liquid from the cooled spinach mixture, then spoon it on to the middle of the pastry and spread it across the surface, leaving a 3cm border at the edges. Place the salmon in the middle, then roll up the sides of the pastry to create the crust, going right up to the salmon and pinching it at the corners to secure it in place.
• Lightly score the top of the salmon in a criss-cross fashion, then pour the cool cheesy sauce over the fish. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg, then carefully lift the greaseproof and salmon en croûte on to the preheated tray.
• Bake at the bottom of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. This is delicious served with a garden salad and lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

GORDON RAMSAY'S SALMON EN CROûTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Check the salmon for pin bones, removing any that you find with tweezers, then cut in half. Line a baking tray with a lightly oiled piece of foil.
• Mix the softened butter with the lemon zest, basil, dill and some salt and pepper in a bowl, to make the filling.
• Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread the herb butter over one fillet, on the boned side, and the mustard evenly on the other fillet. Sandwich the two salmon fillets together, in opposite directions so both ends are of an even thickness.
• Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle, the thickness of a £1 coin and large enough to enclose the salmon. Put the salmon parcel in the centre of the pastry and brush the surrounding pastry with egg. Bring up the edges, trimming off any excess, and tuck them in before folding the rest of the pastry over to form a neat parcel. Carefully turn the whole thing over so that the seam is underneath and place on the prepared baking tray.
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Lightly score a herringbone or cross-hatch pattern using the back of a knife. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover loosely and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
• Bake the salmon for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. To test if ready, insert a skewer into the middle. It should feel warm for medium cooked salmon. A piping hot skewer indicates that the fish is well done.
• Rest the salmon for 5 minutes, then cut into portions using a serrated knife. Serve with hollandaise sauce, new potatoes and broccoli or minted peas.

SALMON EN CROUTE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer onion and mushroom mixture to a small bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to another bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a glass baking dish with parchment paper.
• Dust work surface with flour. Lay 1 puff pastry sheet out on work surface. Spread onion and mushroom mixture evenly across pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Center salmon on top. Sprinkle paprika over salmon and top with wilted spinach. Cover with second puff pastry sheet. Fold over and crimp edges to seal. Brush top with beaten egg. Transfer to baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice into 4 portions.
• Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and dill together in a small bowl. Spoon sauce onto 4 plates and place a piece of salmon on each.

SALMON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Leave the salmon in the refrigerator.
• Melt the butter in a small bowl or saucepan. Stir in the Dijon, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the spinach in large handfuls, cooking until it wilts, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic, thyme, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir in the Parmesan. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water to act as an egg wash. Set aside.
• Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a 12x14-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry in half crosswise so you are left with two rectangles that are 12 x 7 inches each.
• Remove the salmon fillets from the refrigerator and place on a plate. Brush the tops of the fillets liberally with the butter mixture, then place each fillet, butter-side down, in the center of a piece of puff pastry. Spoon half of the cooled vegetables over the top.
• Fold one side of the puff pastry over the top of the fillet like a flap, so that it partially covers it, then brush the top of the flap with egg wash. Fold the next side, adhering it to the first if the flaps are large enough to touch (the egg wash should act as a "glue"), then brush its top with egg wash. Repeat until all 4 sides are folded over. It should be as if you are wrapping up the salmon like a delicious present. Don't stress over the order of the flaps. As long as it's well sealed and covers the salmon, you're golden. Carefully flip the salmon over and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, with the folded side underneath. Repeat with the second fillet.
• Brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg wash, then with a sharp knife, score shallow, diagonal lines in each direction in a crosshatch pattern.
• Bake the salmon for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet. Serve hot.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SALMON EN CROûTE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the shallots and fry for 2-3 mins to soften, then add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir-fry over a high heat for another 3-4 mins, or until the mushrooms and shallots are golden and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Pour in the lemon juice - after a few seconds, that should have evaporated too. Remove from the heat, then stir in the watercress so it wilts in the warmth from the pan (see step 1). Stir in the dill and chives, and season with a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. When the mushroom mix is cool, stir in the crème fraîche. Lay one of the filo sheets on the worktop with the short end facing you. Brush all over with a little of the remaining oil. Layer up 4 more of the filo sheets in the same way, brushing each with a little of the oil.
• Lay one of the salmon fillets, skin-side up, across the width of the filo, positioning it about one-third of the way up. Season it with pepper. Spoon and spread the cooled mushroom mix over the top of the fillet (see step 2). Lay the other salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Season again. Fold the short end of pastry nearest to you over the salmon, then bring the other end over to completely enclose the salmon (see step 3), lifting it so the join can tuck under it. Fold both pastry ends over as neatly as you can.
• Brush the outside with a bit more of the remaining oil. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo, pressing it lightly on top in big folds (see step 4), then carefully brush with the last of the oil. Can be prepared 3-4 hrs ahead up to this point and chilled. Transfer the salmon parcel to the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check while it cooks and if the top starts to brown too quickly, lay a sheet of foil very loosely over it. Remove from the oven and let the salmon sit for 2-3 mins before slicing.

RACH'S SALMON EN CROUTE IS DECEPTIVELY EASY

Steps:

• Preheat oven 425˚F with rack at the center
• For fresh spinach, wash and stem the spinach, then bring a pot of water to a boil and place an ice water bath in large bowl on counter and a strainer in sink
• Salt the boiling water, cook spinach 1 to 2 minutes, then strain, add to ice bath to shock, drain and wring out excess liquid in clean towel, then chop
• For defrosted frozen spinach, wring out all excess liquid and finely chop, then loosen up with fingers
• Heat a skillet over medium heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, add shallots and garlic, season with salt and white pepper
• Add wine, let it absorb
• Add spinach, nutmeg, lemon juice, crème fraiche or cream cheese, Parm and breadcrumbs, then remove from heat to cool
• For the salmon and pastry, combine butter, mustard, thyme, and dill
• Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface just a bit to smooth seams, then cut each sheet in half across to form rectangles
• Place 2 rectangles each on a parchment-lined baking sheet sprinkled with a little flour
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper
• Place a piece of salmon on each piece of pastry and top with ¼ of the Dijon and herb mix, then turn over
• Top each bottom side of salmon with a layer of ¼ of the spinach and gently set in place with your hands
• Make an egg wash with 2 teaspoons water and a fork-beaten egg
• Brush egg wash onto the puff pastry, then fold in long sides to overlap in the middle, stretching the puff pastry gently if needed, to form a seam
• Press the ends to seal, then trim ends a bit and fold in to seal the packet, then turn and score the top in a crosshatch using a paring knife to vent and to add to the plate presentation
• Brush completed packets with egg wash and bake 20 to 25 minutes