Baked Salmon en Croûte (Printable)

Golden puff pastry encloses seasoned salmon and creamy spinach filling for an elegant main dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salmon

01 - 4 skinless salmon fillets, 5.3 oz each
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Filling

03 - 7 oz baby spinach, washed and dried
04 - 1 tbsp olive oil
05 - 4.2 oz cream cheese, softened
06 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped or 1 tsp dried dill
07 - 1 tsp lemon zest
08 - 1 garlic clove, minced

→ Pastry

09 - 17.6 oz ready-rolled puff pastry
10 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
11 - 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (for dusting)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Season salmon fillets on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and press out excess moisture, then roughly chop.
04 - In a bowl, combine cooked spinach, softened cream cheese, dill, lemon zest, and minced garlic. Mix thoroughly.
05 - Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Roll out puff pastry and cut into 4 rectangles, sized to fully enclose each salmon fillet.
06 - Place salmon fillet in the center of each pastry rectangle. Spoon a quarter of the spinach mixture over each fillet.
07 - Fold pastry over salmon and filling, sealing all edges tightly. Position parcels seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
08 - Brush the tops of the parcels with beaten egg. Optionally, decorate with excess pastry pieces.
09 - Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and crisp.
10 - Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving to enhance flavors.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen, but the puff pastry does most of the work for you.
  • The cream cheese and spinach filling keeps the salmon unbelievably moist, even if you slightly overbake it.
  • You can prep the whole thing in advance and just pop it in the oven when guests arrive.
  • It's fancy enough for a dinner party but forgiving enough for a weeknight experiment.
02 -
  • Press out every drop of water from the spinach or your pastry will turn soggy and never crisp up properly.
  • Seal the edges firmly, I crimp mine with a fork to make sure no filling escapes during baking.
  • If your pastry is too cold, it will crack when you fold it, let it sit out for a few minutes first.
03 -
  • Freeze the assembled parcels for 10 minutes before baking, it helps the pastry puff up taller and more evenly.
  • Use a sharp knife to score the top of the pastry lightly before brushing with egg, it creates a beautiful pattern as it bakes.
  • Check the thickest part of the salmon with a fork after 25 minutes, it should flake easily but still be slightly translucent in the very center.

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