Salmon wellington

Salmon wellington

Impress guests with this salmon wellington recipe as your Christmas centrepiece. It would be great for the Boxing Day buffet table, or as a talking point at a dinner party year-round.

Salmon wellington

Choose from more Christmas mains that aren’t turkey.

  • Serves icon Serves 10
  • Time icon Takes 25 minutes to make, 45-50 minutes to cook

Impress guests with this salmon wellington recipe as your Christmas centrepiece. It would be great for the Boxing Day buffet table, or as a talking point at a dinner party year-round.

Choose from more Christmas mains that aren’t turkey.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
461kcals
Fat
30.9g (11.5g saturated)
Protein
27.3g
Carbohydrates
18.1g (1.5g sugars)
Fibre
1g
Salt
1.4g

Ingredients

  • 70g quinoa, rinsed well
  • 300g baby spinach leaves
  • 10 pancetta slices
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Good knob of butter
  • Large handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 100ml crème fraîche
  • 900g-1kg skinless side of sustainable salmon
  • 500g block all-butter puff pastry
  • Plain flour to dust
  • 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
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Method

  1. Put the quinoa in a pan with 150ml cold water, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain, cool under running water, drain again, then set aside in a bowl.
  2. Wilt the spinach in a frying pan over a medium heat, leave to cool, then squeeze out and finely chop. Add it to the quinoa.
  3. Fry the pancetta for 3-4 minutes until crisp, then transfer to kitchen paper.
  4. Fry the garlic in the butter for 30 seconds. Stir into the quinoa and spinach with the dill, zest and crème fraîche. Season, then crumble in the pancetta.
  5. Remove any bones from the fish, then cut in half horizontally to form 2 thinner fillets. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a 3mm thickness and trim into a 36cm x 42cm rectangle (cut holly leaves from the trimmings). Put on baking paper and, with the short pastry edge nearest you, put a piece of fish across the half nearest you, leaving a border. Spread the filling over, then put the other piece of salmon on top.
  6. Moisten the pastry edges and bring the top half over to cover the fish. Trim the edges, crimp to seal, then brush with egg. Decorate with the leaves, then brush again. Slide onto a baking sheet, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6.
  7. Make a small cut in the top, brush with more egg and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories
461kcals
Fat
30.9g (11.5g saturated)
Protein
27.3g
Carbohydrates
18.1g (1.5g sugars)
Fibre
1g
Salt
1.4g

delicious. tips

  1. Freeze the uncooked wellington on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap in baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to a month. Cook from frozen for 45 minutes. Alternatively, make up to the end of step 6 the day before and chill.

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