Our straightforward salmon en croûte recipe makes light work of a dish that’s got a reputation for being tricky.
Serve this French classic as the centre piece at special gatherings with family and friends – it could be ideal for a Christmas Eve supper.
Or, for something equally as impressive, why not try our one-pan whole roast salmon?
Ingredients
- Small knob of butter
- 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
- 100g baby leaf spinach
- 100g watercress
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- Finely grated zest ½ lemon
- 2 x 500g sustainably sourced skinless salmon fillets
- 2 tsp grated hot horseradish from a jar or tube
- 3 tbsp crème fraîche
- 450g all-butter puff pastry (see tips)
- Plain flour for dusting
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten, to glaze
Method
- Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and, when it releases its aroma, tip in the spinach and watercress. Stir until the leaves just wilt. Tip into a sieve and press down firmly on the wilted leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Roughly chop, discarding any tough stems, then put in a mixing bowl with the dill and lemon zest. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Dry the salmon fillets thoroughly on kitchen paper and season them generously. Lay the fillets on a chopping board, skinned-side down, and run your finger down each to check for pin bones.
- If you find any, pull them out with tweezers.
- Stir the horseradish into the crème fraîche, then spread evenly over one of the fillets, followed by the spinach mixture. Top with the other fillet, skinned-side up (see tips).
- Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a 3mm thickness and trim to a 27cm x 40cm rectangle (or big enough to leave a generous border around the salmon when folded over). Put on a lined baking sheet and brush with the Dijon mustard. With a short pastry edge facing you, put the stacked salmon fillets across the top half of the pastry, leaving a 2-3cm border. Brush the pastry edges with some of the beaten egg, then fold the bottom half over to cover the fish.
- Trim the edges, crimp them by pinching gently to seal (see tips), then brush with a little more beaten egg.
- Top with decorations made from the pastry trimmings, then brush again with beaten egg. Chill for at least 20 minutes (see Make Ahead). Heat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6.
- Once chilled, make a few small holes in the top of the pastry for the steam to escape, brush with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden and a few juices leach out of the holes. Rest for a few minutes before slicing, or leave to cool a little and serve warm.
Nutrition
- 489kcals Calories
- 31.6g (11.1g saturated) Fat
- 30.7g Protein
- 20.8g (1.4g sugars) Carbs
- 0.8g Fibre
- 1g Salt
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