Hairy Bikers Salmon En Croute Recipe

Spinach, watercress and cream cheese sit between two poached fillets in this Hairy Bikers salmon en croute, all under a puff pastry lattice. From their BBC Go West series, it feeds 6 at roughly 725 calories a serving in an hour and a half.

Either name works, salmon en croute or salmon Wellington, and Ultimate Comfort Food says “it makes a proper fancy dish for a special meal”. But unlike the book, the Go West version poaches the fillets in wine and water first, so that liquor becomes its dill sauce base.

Squeeze the wilted spinach hard in a clean tea towel, because any water left in it soaks straight into the pastry. And blotting the poached salmon with kitchen paper matters just as much, since a dry filling is what keeps the base crisp.

Hairy Bikers Salmon En Croute Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British French Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 40 minutesCook time: 50 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 30 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:725 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

The skinned fillets sandwich a creamy green stuffing on one sheet of puff pastry, which is folded into a sealed parcel, seam side down. Then a lattice cut from the second pack goes over the top, brushed with plenty of beaten egg. Once baked golden in 30 to 40 minutes, it slices neatly into thick portions.

Ingredients

For the salmon and pastry

• 2 thick salmon fillets, about 300 to 350g each, scales removed
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 3 thin slices of fennel
• 1 sprig of dill
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 3 strips of pared lemon zest
• 100ml dry white wine
• 100ml water
• 2 packs of puff pastry, about 320g each
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the filling

• 200g spinach
• Handful of watercress, chopped
• 100g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Grated zest of ½ lemon

For the dill sauce

• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 200ml whole milk
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp crème fraîche

To serve

• Steamed new potatoes and greens or salad leaves

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan: check the salmon for bones and season it. Put the shallot, fennel, dill, parsley and lemon zest in a pan big enough for both fillets, with the wine and 100ml water.
2. Cook gently: lay the salmon on top, skin side down, cover and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Once simmering, poach for about 7 minutes so it stays slightly underdone, then take it off the heat to cool in the liquid.
3. Make the filling: while the fish cools, wilt the spinach, squeeze out the excess water in a clean tea towel and chop it. Mix it with the watercress, cream cheese, mayonnaise and lemon zest, and season well.
4. Roll the base: preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Roll one pack of pastry on a floured surface into a neat 20 x 28cm rectangle and lift it onto a non-stick baking tray.
5. Assemble: lift the salmon out, keeping the poaching liquor, and peel off the skin before blotting the fish dry with kitchen paper. Lay one fillet in the middle of the pastry, spread the filling over it and top with the second fillet.
6. Seal: brush egg round the pastry edge, fold it up into a parcel, trim the excess and seal the ends. Turn it seam side down and brush all over with egg.
7. Add the lattice: roll the second pack to the thickness of a pound coin and cut it with a lattice cutter. Lift it over the parcel with the rolling pin, tuck the ends underneath and brush generously with the rest of the egg.
8. Bake: slide the tray into the hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lattice is deep golden.
9. Make the sauce: while it bakes, strain the poaching liquor, then melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Whisk in the liquor and milk and simmer until thick, before adding the dill and lemon juice and simmering for 10 minutes more.
10. Serve: season the sauce and stir in the crème fraîche. Cut the salmon into thick slices and serve with the sauce, new potatoes and greens.

FAQs

Is there a Hairy Bikers salmon en croute in a cookbook?

Yes, Ultimate Comfort Food has one, though it skips the poaching and sandwiches a fennel, watercress and cream cheese filling between raw fillets. In that book it bakes for 15 minutes at 220°C/Fan 200°C, then 25 more at 180°C/Fan 160°C, with a dill and caper sauce alongside. And the filling takes an optional 2 tsp of ouzo or pastis, which I find echoes the fennel.

Can you make salmon en croute without a lattice cutter?

Yes, since the Ultimate Comfort Food version has no lattice at all, just optional scales marked on top with a spoon. So without a cutter I leave out the second pack and mark scales instead, which makes it an easy first attempt.

Can you make salmon en croute ahead?

The Ultimate Comfort Food version can, since its raw parcel is built, chilled and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. But the Go West method has no make-ahead stage, because the fish is only part-poached, so I just make its filling earlier and chill it. For a dinner party planned ahead, the book version is the one I cook.

What other Hairy Bikers salmon recipes are there?

British Classics has a salmon pie with spinach, where flaked poached salmon, wilted spinach and hollandaise are folded inside puff pastry. Plus Perfect Pies calls its posh salmon coulibiac “a spectacular centrepiece for any party”, built from two sides of salmon with rice, prawns and mushrooms. If you want salmon without pastry, their salmon fish cakes with hollandaise or salmon tray bake with black beans are my next picks.

What goes with salmon en croute, and do leftovers keep?

BBC Food says it works hot or cold, so in summer I serve it cool with a leafy salad instead of potatoes. For a dinner party I start with their prawn cocktail with a gazpacho dressing, which keeps the seafood theme going. Once baked, leftovers should be cooled and chilled within two hours, and I eat them cold the next day, though the pastry softens.