Salmon Wellington

“Salmon Wellington” is a slightly pretentious name for this dish.  It is named after that highly-prized dish “beef Wellington” but the only thing it has in common with beef Wellington is the casing of puff pastry.  Nonetheless it is a delicious dish that is worthy of any dinner table.  It can be served as a main course or (in less-generous quantities) as a starter.  It has the advantage, for a dinner party, that it can be prepared a bit in advance.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 45 Mins

Total Time: 85 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

100 gms          Spinach  - stalks removed       

100 gms          Watercress

1 clove            Garlic  - peeled        

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

                     Olive oil    

1                    Shallot  - chopped finely         

30 gms            Cream cheese         

2 tsp               Dill  - chopped        

1½ tbs            Horseradish sauce    

300 gms          Pastry  - puff          

2 fillets            Salmon  - 250 gms each         

1                    Egg  - beaten         

For dusting

                     Flour  - white          

Method

To prepare the greenery…

Rinse the spinach and watercress and shake dry.  Spear the garlic clove with a fork.  Heat a well-seasoned frying pan over a medium-high heat and then add a splash of oil.  When it is hot, add the spinach and watercress, season with salt and toss with the garlic fork until the spinach is just wilted. Tip it into a sieve and squeeze out the excess water.  Then transfer it to a bowl and set aside.

Wipe out the frying pan, reheat over a medium-high heat and then add another splash of oil.  Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and sauté for one minute before adding the spinach and watercress and mixing.  Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and leave to cool completely.

When the spinach is cold, stir in the cream cheese, dill and horseradish and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

To prepare the pastry parcel…

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Roll out the puff pastry into a 30cm square, about 2 mm think.

Pat the salmon fillets dry and season them with salt and pepper, then place one fillet in the centre of the pastry.  Spread the spinach and watercress mixture over it and then top with the remaining salmon fillet.

Wrap the fillets in pastry by using both hands to lift the pastry and fold inwards to meet at the top, so that the ends just overlap.  Trim off any excess pastry.  Brush the edges with the beaten egg and press together firmly to seal.  Brush the pastry on both short ends with egg and press together, again cutting off excess pastry.  There should be a ½ cm gap between the edge of the salmon parcel and the seals.

Transfer the salmon parcel to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.  Brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg and chill for at least 20 minutes.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 220°C.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the salmon Wellington for 35 minutes - or until it is golden brown.  Leave to rest for five minutes before slicing.

Wine recommendations

A robust white wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône blanc

Interesting

     Hermitage blanc

Special

     Meursault

     Pessac-Léognan blanc