Salmon Wellington

A savory, rich, restaurant-quality seafood dish that's guaranteed to please everyone at your dinner table. Pair it with your favorite veggie side dish for an easy yet elegant meal.

Prep: 15

Cook: 45

Total: 1

Yield:6 servings

Equipment

Oven
large sheet pan
butter or neutral cooking spray
stovetop
Medium skillet
Silicone spatula
clean, flat work surface
Paper towels
Small bowl
whisk
paring knife
Pastry brush
internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

For the Spinach Filling

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium shallot finely chopped, approximately ¼ cup
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups spinach leaves
1 pinch salt
¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice juice from approximately 1 small lemon
4 ounces full-fat cream cheese at room temperature, cut into small pieces

For the Salmon Wellington

2 full sheets frozen puff pastry at room temperature
2 6-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets 1 ½-2 inches thick, see Notes
salt to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 large egg at room temperature

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease large sheet pan with butter or neutral cooking spray. Set pan aside.

For the Spinach Filling

Place medium skillet on stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and heat pan until butter is melted, swirling and tilting pan occasionally to distribute butter evenly across surface.
Once butter is melted, add 1 medium shallot and 2 cloves garlic. Stir to incorporate, then sauté aromatics 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallot pieces have softened.
When softened, add 2 cups spinach leaves and 1 pinch salt. Gently stir ingredients together and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted.
Add ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to skillet. Stir to incorporate.
Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly, then add 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese has melted and all ingredients are fully combined. Set skillet aside on cool burner.

To Assemble the Salmon Wellington

Spread 2 full sheets frozen puff pastry out on clean, flat work surface. Leave room between sheets to work with each individually.
Remove 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets from refrigerator. Pat fillets completely dry on all sides with paper towels, then place 1 fillet off-center on each pastry sheet. Leave approximately 2 to 3 inches of pastry exposed above, below, and to one side of each salmon fillet.
Season top of each salmon fillet with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Spoon half of spinach filling on top of each salmon fillet, spreading filling out to cover fillet as evenly as possible.
Take edge of puff pastry opposite salmon fillet and fold pastry over to cover salmon, as if closing books. Carefully pinch, crimp, or roll edges of puff pastry completely closed, fully encasing salmon and filling in pastry sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.
Once each puff pastry sheet is wrapped and sealed around each salmon fillet, carefully transfer both to prepared baking sheet. Leave room between each Salmon Wellington to allow for any pastry expansion.
Crack 1 large egg into small bowl. Whisk egg vigorously until well beaten with no streaks remaining.
Use paring knife to lightly score tops of each Wellington in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut completely through pastry sheet and into filling. Once pastries are scored, lightly brush tops of pastries with beaten egg.

To Bake the Salmon Wellington

Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and Wellington is cooked through.
When pastry is golden, carefully remove baking sheet from oven and set aside. Let Wellington rest 5 minutes, then slice into desired number of pieces and serve warm with preferred sides.

Notes

Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels on all sides. If you skip this, you risk the excess moisture making the Wellington soggy on the bottom.
Salmon Fillets: Keep them refrigerated until you're ready to assemble the Salmon Wellington. Don't take them out when you start the recipe. Also, make sure they're even in size and thickness so that they bake evenly and at the same speed.
Pastry Sheets: I used the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets, which come 2 to a box. I didn't need to roll them out into larger rectangles but you may need to if your salmon fillets are too large to fit entirely in the sheets out of the box.
Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit until warmed through.
Make-Ahead Option: Follow all the directions above, up to the step where you score the pastries and brush them with the egg. Refrigerate the Wellington in an airtight container no more than 24 hours. Before baking, score the pastry and brush with beaten egg. Bake as directed.
Freezer-Meal Option: Follow all the directions above, up to the step where you brush the pastries with egg. Wrap the assembled and scored Wellington tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Place foil-wrapped Wellington in sealable food-safe freezer bags and remove as much air as possible before sealing completely. Place Wellington in freezer and keep frozen up to 1 month. To bake, remove Wellington from freezer and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake frozen Wellington approximately 35 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri