Salmon en croûte
- Published: 19 Nov 14
- Updated: 27 May 25
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?
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Serves 6-8 -
Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 25-30 min, plus chilling
Nutrition
- Calories
- 489kcals
- Fat
- 31.6g (11.1g saturated)
- Protein
- 30.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 20.8g (1.4g sugars)
- Fibre
- 0.8g
- Salt
- 1g
delicious. tips
Most puff pastry blocks come in 500g packs. To use the leftover trimmings for more than decoration, make quick cheese straws: slice neatly into strips after rolling – without crumpling – brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for 10-12 minutes in a 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 oven.
Season the spinach and watercress filling well in step 1 to help distribute flavour throughout the fish as it cooks.
When wilting the greens (step 1), pull out any thick stems – they can make the finished dish tricky to slice neatly.
To ensure even thickness, place the fillets so the thin tail end of one fillet sits over the thick end of the other fillet.
When trimming the pastry , use a sharp knife and cut straight down to keep the layers intact and help them puff easily.
Don’t panic if your crimping isn’t neat. The pastry will puff in a way that makes it look more rustic in style. You don’t have to crimp it – just make sure the edges are well sealed to keep the juices locked in.
To serve, slice the baked salmon with a sharp, serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion. This will cut through the pastry, salmon and filling neatly, allowing the pretty layering to be seen clearly.
Assemble the dish up to 24 hours in advance and keep, covered with cling film, in the fridge. Bake from chilled. Freeze the unbaked salmon for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra 30 minutes to the oven time. Cover with foil if the pastry turns too dark.
Nothing beats a buttery white burgundy with this – a mâcon-villages is good value, or splash out on a white meursault.