Salmon en Croute

Yield: 4 x Salmon en croutes

En Croute in French means crusted. Salmon en croute typically refers to a salmon dish wrapped in puff pastry. This is a traditional French dish that you just need to try for yourself. The process involves puff pastry, a cream cheese and spinach filling with baked salmon.

You can simply use store bought puff pastry, or if you want to try making your own, check out my post on "Puff Pastry from Scratch".

500 g Baker's Flour

280g Water - Cold

8g Fine Salt

350 g Lamination Butter

*Alternatively, you can use store bought puff pastry

100 g Spinach

220 g Cream Cheese

2 tbsp Dill - Finely chopped

1/2 Lemon Juice

qs. Salt (To season)

qs. Black Pepper (To season)

4 slices 300g Salmon - Skin off

500 g Puff Pastry

FOR THE SPINACH FILLING

Lightly oil a fry pan then add in the spinach and dill until the spinach and onion becomes soft. Transfer into a bowl. Add in the cream cheese and salt. Stir to combine. Add in the Lemon Juice and season with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLY

Remove the skin of the salmon. Wash and pat dry.

Roll the homemade puff pastry to approximately 2 - 3 mm in thickness. Cut out a rectangle or square piece of puff pastry (depending on the shape of your salmon). Ensure that the pieces of puff pastry is approximately 3 - 5cm wider around the edges of the fish.

Place the salmon on top of the puff pastry then spread the top with the spinach spread.

Roll out another piece of puff pastry with the same thickness 2 cm wider than the first sheet. Drape it over the top of the salmon and gently press all around the salmon to tug it in between the pastry. Trim the four edges until you get a net square /rectangle.

With the back of a fork, seal the edges in. Use a cutter to create patterns on top that resembles the fish.

Bake in the oven pre heated at 200C for 30 - 40 minutes or until they turn golden in color.