Salmon Wellington
This is one of those meals where you can really impress your friends and family. The final result of salmon wellington is stunning and who wouldn’t love digging into that golden puff pastry? The secret is that it’s actually really easy to execute. It is a lot less labor intensive that its beef wellington counterpart but the flavors and textures are absolutely delicious!
This wellington is stuffed with something akin to a spinach artichoke dip. It’s super creamy and savory, that I often eat the excess with some crackers while the salmon is doing its thing in the oven! The spinach artichoke filling is the perfect complement to the fatty salmon and the crunchy puff pastry.
What is Salmon Wellington?
Salmon Wellington is also called “salmon en croute”. En croute is the French term for anything that gets wrapped in pastry dough and baked. Wellingtons, including the famous Beef Wellington are specifically baked in puff pastry which is a multi layered pastry as opposed to something flatter like a pie dough. Puff pastry goes through a process called lamination, which involves rolling, folding and chilling the pastry multiple times to achieve that flaky consistency.
The origin of salmon Wellington dates back to Tudor England (mid 1400s to early 1600s). Beef Wellington was an incredibly popular dish among the higher classes. Less wealthy groups began to experiment with other types of protein that were more plentiful and cheaper, like salmon or chicken.
Puff Pastry, fresh or store bought?
So of course you can use store bought puff pastry with an amazing result! However, if you want to take this to the next level making your own puff pastry from scratch is the way to go! It’s an all day process so this isn’t for a quick weeknight project. This is also the time I break out the expensive Irish butter, to give it an even more decadent flavor. I will have my version of puff pastry up on my blog soon.
Make ahead and store:
You can prepare the puff pastry the day before. Score the puff pastry, but do not add the egg wash on top. Store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake the salmon, then add the egg wash, and bake as directed. I don’t recommend doing this more than one day before you plan to bake them, because the spinach artichoke filling will oversaturate the pastry.
You can freeze the wellingtons BEFORE they are baked, but not after. Score the puff pastry, but do not add the egg wash on top. Place it on a baking sheet in the freezer until solid. Then, store in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to prepare it, let it set at room temperature for about 20 minutes (enough for the pastry to soften up a bit), then add the egg wash, score, and bake. You’ll need to add about 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time. Don’t let it thaw completely or the excess moisture will keep the puff pastry from crisping up.
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.
What to serve with Salmon Wellington:
Salmon Wellington Step by step:
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). In a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the garlic and onions, cooking until translucent. About 5 minutes. Toss in the artichokes and cook a few minutes more.
Add the spinach, red chili flakes salt, and pepper, cook until spinach is wilted.
Then add the breadcrumbs, cream cheese, parmesan, and dill, stirring until mixture is evenly combined. Remove from heat, add in the lemon zest, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside and allow to cool.
On a cutting board, lay out the sheet of puff pastry with a little flour. Roll it until it fits the size of your fillet. If your fillet is smaller you can cut the puff pastry down to size. Just make sure to leave enough around the edges to fold and cover the entire salmon.
Pat the salmon dry and make sure there are no pin bones. If it’s skin on, remove the skin. Place the salmon in the middle of the pastry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Make sure the flatter side of the salmon is face up. Place several spoonful’s of the spinach mixture on top of the salmon, smoothing it out so that it does not spill over the sides.
Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the salmon and spinach, starting with the longer sides and then the shorter ends. Trim any excess pastry from the ends, then fold the ends on top. Flip the puff pastry-wrapped salmon over and transfer for a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can use some of the egg wash if the sides aren’t staying folded.
Brush the beaten egg on the top and sides of the pastry. Score the top of the pastry with a knife, cutting shallow diagonal lines to create a crosshatch pattern.
Brush the top again with the egg wash. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Slice, then serve immediately with your favorite veggies and starches!
Salmon Wellington Video Tutorial
Salmon Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 salmon, fillet (enough to cut 4 separate fillets)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- flaky kosher/sea salt
Cream Cheese Spinach Mixture:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (14 ounces) artichokes hearts, drained and chopped
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- In a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the garlic and onions, cooking until translucent. About 5 minutes. Add in the artichokes and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the spinach, red chili flakes salt, and pepper, cook until spinach is wilted.
- Add the breadcrumbs, cream cheese, parmesan, and dill, stirring until mixture is evenly combined. Remove from heat, add in the lemon zest, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside and allow to cool.
- On a cutting board, lay out the sheet of puff pastry with a little flour. Roll it until it fits the size of your fillet. If you fillet is smaller you can cut the puff pastry down to size. Just make sure to leave enough around the edges to fold and cover the entire salmon.
- Pat the salmon dry and make sure there are no pin bones. If it's skin on, remove the skin. Place the salmon in the middle of the pastry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Make sure the flatter side of the salmon is face up. Place several spoonful's of the spinach mixture on top of the salmon, smoothing it out so that it does not spill over the sides. Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the salmon and spinach, starting with the longer sides and then the shorter ends. Trim any excess pastry from the ends, then fold the ends on top. Flip the puff pastry-wrapped salmon over and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the beaten egg on the top and sides of the pastry. Score the top of the pastry with a knife, cutting shallow diagonal lines to create a crosshatch pattern.
- Brush the top again with the egg wash. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.
- Slice, then serve immediately!