Delicious Salmon en croute recipe for two! Salmon, topped with creamy mixture of mascarpone and minced kale, then wrapped in flaky puff pastry and baked till golden. One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be assembled up to 12 hours in advance, just what you need for the holiday season!
For a vegetarian version take a look at our Mushroom Wellington recipe.
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With so many holidays packed into this time of year, it’s handy to have a few extra special occasion recipes ready to go. After all, nothing says celebration like a fabulous meal with friends and loved ones!
Throw a white tablecloth on your dinner table along with some candles, pop a bottle of Champagne and transform your house into a little French bistro. I’ve got the perfect recipe!
Meet Salmon en Croute, or as you might know it, Salmon Wellington.
Think moist, flavourful salmon slathered in herby mascarpone cheese. Wrap it in flaky, buttery puff pastry crust and you have an elegant meal that’s fit for any occasion!
What is Salmon en Croute?
The French word for “en croute” simply means “in pastry”, so what you get is puff pastry-wrapped salmon. But that is not all.
The traditional salmon en croute recipe calls for a fillet of salmon to be topped with a combination of watercress and crème fraîche. This makes the filling absolutely irresistible. Salmon en Croute is impressive and elegant, not to mention delicious.
For my version I replaced crème fraîche with mascarpone cheese and watercress with minced kale, which took this dish to the next level. My recipe for salmon en croute is absolutely sublime.
Don’t be intimidated by the process. I will walk you through it!
How to make it
This recipe can be made in advance so you can relax on the day of celebration. You can prepare it the night before and keep it in the fridge.
Then just pop it in the oven for half an hour and your restaurant quality dinner is ready. You can enjoy your time together like you would if you were out!
Simply mince the kale as finely as you can or use your food processor. Mix it with mascarpone cheese (wonderful is savoury recipes like this one or Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta Sauce) flavoured with a bit of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Then place the piece of salmon on top of rolled out puff pastry, spread the kale and mascarpone mixture in an even layer, and wrap following the visual guide below. Now ether refrigerate until needed or bake it immediately.
As you can see this recipe has a pretty short ingredient list. Surprised?
Don’t be. Classic French cuisine heavily relies on quality ingredients for its delicious taste! What I particularly love about cooking salmon in pastry is that the puff pastry keeps all the juices in, which makes your salmon especially moist and flavourful.
Recipe tips and notes
- Feel free to use full fat cream cheese instead of mascarpone. A cream cheese and fresh spinach filling is also common, and can be used instead of kale.
- All butter pastry has the best combination of flakiness and good taste. Choose this whenever possible. Using store-bought puff pastry makes this a far easier recipe, and be sure to brush with egg wash for truly beautiful puff pastry.
- The sheet of puff pastry will be easier to work with if allowed to warm up slightly before using. Just a bit though, and not to room temperature. Allowing it to warm up too much will prevent the flaky layers from developing. And work with it on a lightly floured surface. I often use a cutting board as my work surface to make clean up simple.
- Don’t forget to add slits to your pastry for venting before you bake it. Cutting slits allows excess moisture to get out and prevents the Wellington from bursting as it bakes. Diagonal slits that form a crisscross pattern are traditional. Using a very sharp knife for the slits makes it a far neater, easier job.
- Make sure to brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash for that beautiful golden brown colour.
- It’s easiest to use a parchment-lined baking sheet to prevent the salmon en croute from sticking and to make it easier to move the whole thing to a platter for serving.
- I decorated my salmon Wellington recipe with a little braid I made from pastry scraps but it’s not at all necessary. It does add to the visual appeal.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is absolutely the centerpiece of the entire dinner. Even if your sides are very simple, you will still manage to impress.
Because it is a show-stopping dish, it works for all sorts of special occasions. I’ve served it for a dinner party, Thanksgiving, New Years and Valentine’s Day, and it was a winner each time.
I love serving it with baby potatoes first boiled, then bathed in butter and herbs. You can also make our perfectly spiced Roasted Baby Potatoes.
Our Spinach Salad with Apples, Bacon and Blue Cheese is inspired by French bistros. It’s a perfect starter to your meal.
Finish your dinner with our Chocolate Cake Truffles. Another treat you can make well ahead! And if that is not enough, Blood Orange French 75 cocktails will add another level of festivity to your celebration!
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover Wellington will last for a couple of days if stored in a refrigerator in an airtight container or plastic wrap. Any longer and the pastry will get soggy.
One way to reheat is in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout.
But I find it even better (and quicker) to use an air fryer. It’s the best way to get the pastry buttery and flaky again. If you have a lot of leftovers, it may work best to cut into separate pieces before adding to the air fryer so it reheats more evenly.
It should take about 10 minutes in an air fryer heated to 180 degrees.
More special occasion recipes
- Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Portobello Mushrooms and Truffle Oil
- Ribeye Steak with Sicilian Lemon Herb Sauce
- Cognac Mushroom Steak Sauce
- Chicken Paillard in Sherry Caper Sauce
Salmon en croute (Salmon in pastry)
Ingredients
- 45g/1 cup black kale/cavolo nero very finely chopped
- 60g/1/4 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
- ½ lemon juice only
- salt and pepper to taste
- 200g/7 oz puff pastry
- flour for dusting and rolling
- 300g/10oz salmon skinless and boneless
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Chop the kale (thick ribs removed) very finely and mix with softened mascarpone or cream cheese, add lemon juice, salt and pepper. The mixture should resemble a thick paste.
- Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle appox ⅛″ thick. Place the salmon pieces in the middle of the pastry rectangle, salt, pepper and spread the kale mixture directly on them.
- Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg, fold the sides and pinch them together securely to resemble an envelope. I used a fork to make sure all juices stay in.
- Flip the salmon filled pastry over and place it on parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush it with the egg wash all over.
- Optional: Make decorations out leftover pastry and place on top, brush with egg wash.
- Make 3-4 little slits for ventilation. Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until pastry is puffed up and golden.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
