This is a dish worthy of a celebration! Salmon Wellington, also called salmon wrapped in puff pastry, is a divinely cooked salmon filet wrapped in buttery, golden brown, flaky, puff pastry, stuffed with creamy spinach, finely diced fennel, and Boursin cheese mixture, and then topped with sprigs of fennel fronds and fresh dill. It's as beautiful as it is delicious and will become a go-to recipe for dinner parties or a special evening at home.
For more salmon recipes and easy weeknight dishes, try my, Sheet Pan, Spicy Crunchy Salmon with Broccoli, or my Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon with Zucchini Noodles.
This is the perfect holiday dish, especially for the non-meat eaters. As decadent as a Beef Wellington, this puff pastry-wrapped salmon (Salmon Wellington/ Salmon en croute) is a gorgeous and indulgent dish sure to elicit excitement and compliments from all who are lucky enough to be seated at your dinner table. I love how the tender perfectly cooked salmon along with the creamy spinach mixture contrasts with the flaky buttery puff pastry wrapping. This Julia Child-inspired seafood special is a dish that you will make over and over again.
You'll Love this Recipe
I love salmon and I'm not alone. It's the number one-selling fish in America which comes as no surprise. It's incredibly versatile and its mild full flavor works perfectly across a bounty of cuisines and preparations. From the most simple and elegant sushi to a full-bodied roast, salmon can do just about anything. With this Wellington recipe, a fillet of salmon is used instead of a fillet of beef. Sounds strange but it's true. Salmon is meaty, rich, and full-bodied enough to make the seafood equivalent of Beef Wellington. In this case, a delicate mixture of creamy spinach and Boursin is standing in for the traditional mushroom duxelles, a better pairing with the more delicate flavor of salmon filet.
Flaky buttery puff pastry is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. The best part? It is easily found in the freezer section of your grocery store. Puff pastry wraps up all the deliciousness of the salmon and the spinach filling, locks in the flavors, and ‘puffs' up, making a heavenly, delicate, flaky pastry exterior for a beautiful presentation and buttery flavor.
Dinner party ready! As impressive as this dish presents it is honestly fairly simple to execute and a wonderful recipe to add to your dinner party repertoire.
Let's Get Cooking!
Ingredients Needed and Helpful Substitution Tips
For the main dish:
- Salmon fillet-skinless – Ask your fish counter for the thickest center-cut piece they have. Also, look for filet pieces that have the most consistent thickness throughout the entire portion. This will help create even cooking as well as the construction of the dish. Ask your fishmonger to remove the skin and any pin bones.
- Fennel- Its mild anise and licorice flavor is the perfect hint of interest in the spinach mixture. It hardly gets noticed as a background note but its presence is meaningful. Like an orchestra, you may not always know what instruments are playing but you know it sounds good. The same applies with recipes. Basically, the sum is greater than the part.
- Shallot – Milder than garlic and well-balanced for fish dishes.
- Baby spinach – This is the base of your filling mixture. Tender baby spinach leaves create a subtle texture and when cooked, spread evenly over the salmon fillet.
- Boursin cheese – A real flavor powerhouse. This easy-melting cheese blends smoothly with the spinach to create a luscious creamy filling that is loaded with a rich yet delicate flavor
- Olive oil – to cook the spinach mixture
- Puff pastry – This is the outer casing that holds the rest of the ingredients together in an envelope of goodness. Golden brown and flaky, puff pastry dough locks in moisture and has a delicious light buttery flavor. You can find puff pastry in the freezer section of your local grocery store.
- Dijon mustard – Giving the salmon a coating of Dijon adds a touch of acidity and tangy zip.
- Seasoning – Salt and fresh black pepper
- Fresh dill – to garnish
- Beaten Egg – For egg wash
For the Creamy Dijon Sauce:
- White wine – For balance and flavor. This will cook down.
- Dijon mustard – Obviously
- Lemon juice – for acidity
- Generous pinch of salt – this is the only seasoning you will give the sauce so don't be too shy.
- Heavy cream and sour cream – these two dairy elements mixed with the Dijon mustard give this sauce its luxe creamy full body.
Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray/ baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
How to Make Salmon Wellington (step-by-step photos)
Step One – Make the Filling
In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add finely diced shallot and fennel, cook until softened, add baby spinach, and cook until wilted. Add Boursin cheese and stir until well combined and creamy- Set aside in a medium bowl.
Step Two – Prepare Puff Pastry
Allow the puff pastry to thaw for 40 minutes at room temperature. On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry sheet. The puff pastry should be approximately double the size of the piece of salmon, or have 1-2″ of overhand on each side.
EXPERT TIP! Rolling the puff pastry also thins it out slightly. The challenge with salmon Wellington vs. beef Wellington is that salmon cooks much faster than beef. Therefore, if the puff pastry is too thick the salmon will finish cooking before the pastry and you will have overcooked salmon and undercooked pastry. Nope, that is not what we are going for. To achieve perfectly flaky pastry and tender luscious salmon, start with a thick center cut piece of salmon and puff pastry that has been rolled out.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. and place puff pastry on top.
Step Three – Prepare the Salmon
Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on both sides of the salmon and season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon in the middle of the pastry and layer the top of the salmon with the spinach filling.
Step Four – Egg Wash
Brush the edges of the puff pastry, all the way around, with egg wash. Egg wash is simply whisked egg with a little bit of water.
Step Five – Wrap it Up Like a Package
Wrap the sheet of puff pastry around the salmon, begin with the long sides, finish with the top and bottom and press the puff pastry together to create a seal. Brush with egg wash and flip over so the smooth side of the pastry is facing up.
Step Six – Score
Brush the entire top with egg wash and score shallow diagonal lines across the pastry, this helps to circulate air through the puff pastry and speeds up the cooking time of the pastry.
Step Seven – Bake
Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, turn the oven to broil, and broil for 3-4 minutes until the top of the pastry is golden brown. If checking with an instant-read thermometer, aim for an internal temperature of 135° when removing from the oven. Salmon will continue to cook a few degrees after it is removed from the oven.
Step Eight – Make Dijon Cream Sauce
While salmon is baking make sauce: In a small saucepan combine wine, dijon, and lemon juice. Cook to burn off alcohol while whisking to emulsify. Once liquid has reduced by about 1/2 slowly whisk in cream and sour cream. Heat for a few minutes until warmed through, remove from heat and pour into a small bowl.
Recipe Tips – Cook Time!
When rolling out pastry dough, you are aiming for the puff pastry to be about 30-50% thinner (this is an estimate and will depend on the thickness of your salmon. Keep in mind the salmon will cook faster than the puff pastry. Therefore, if the puff pastry is too thick, the salmon will be overcooked.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing Instructions
- STORAGE – Store in an airtight container for 3 days
- REHEATING – reheat in the oven at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until warm.
- FREEZING – Freeze for up to 1 month in an airtight freezer-safe storage container.
FAQ
Salmon en Croute means “salmon in a crust” in French. It's salmon and a spinach filling wrapped with puff pastry. Salmon Wellington is the same thing, it just borrows the more familiar word “Wellington” for its name. A traditional Beef Wellington is made with beef tenderloin, a mushroom filling, and parma ham. It is also wrapped in puff pastry, hence the shared ‘Wellington' name. Salmon Wellington is also called, salmon wrapped in puff pastry.
Anything wrapped in pastry has the potential to get soggy. Patting the salmon fillet dry to remove as much moisture from the surface as possible will help as does scoring the top of the pastry before baking. This allows excess moisture to escape as it cooks.
Salmon Fillet – Ideally between 1.5-2 inches thick. Use a single piece aprox: 1.5-2 lbs to feed 4-6 people. Avoid salmon steaks as these have a large bone thought the center and avoid smaller cuts. Aim for a thick fillet with a consistent thickness throughout.
Dietary Modifications
This recipe is not easily modifiable, I have yet to find a gluten free puff pastry (if you've found one please comment below and share!).
I can’t wait for you to try this! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Salmon Wellington
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 saute pan
- 1 medium bowl
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb salmon fillet skinless, thick center cut
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 2 tbsp Boursin cheese
- 1/4 cup fennel finely diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Creamy Dijon Sauce
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°
- Make Filling- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, add shallot and fennel, cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add baby spinach, cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Add Boursin cheese and stir until well combined and creamy. Set aside
- Puff Pastry – Allow to thaw for 40 minutes on the counter. Once it is pliable enough to handle, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until the shape is about double in size. (You are looking for the puff pastry to be about 30-50% thinner than when you started.) This is an estimate and will depend on the thickness of your salmon. The goal is to have the salmon and the pastry finish cooking at the same time. Keep in mind the salmon will cook faster than the puff pastry. If the puff pastry is too thick, the salmon will be overcooked.For reference, my salmon was 1” thick, and I rolled the puff pastry until it was 30% thinner.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place puff pastry on top.
- Coat salmon with a thin layer of dijon mustard (1 tsp total) on both sides and season with salt and pepper.
- Place salmon in the middle of puff pastry, and top with spinach fennel filling.
- Brush the edges of puff pastry, all the way around, with egg wash.
- Pull and fold the long side of the pastry over the salmon, repeat with the other side. Then fold the top and bottom over like a package. Brush with more egg wash, and gently flip over so the smooth side of the pastry is facing up. Brush the entire top with egg wash and score diagonal slits across the top of the pastry. Use a sharp knife to gently score the pastry taking care not to rip the dough.
- Bake in oven at 400° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, turn the oven to broil, and broil for 3-4 minutes until the top of the pastry is golden brown. The internal temp of Salmon should be 135° when taking it out of the oven.
Creamy Dijon Sauce
- While the salmon is baking make sauce:In a small saucepan combine wine, dijon, and lemon juice. Cook until liquid has reduced by half and alcohol has burned off. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and sour cream. Allow to warm through and thicken. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to serve.
- Transfer Salmon Wellington to a serving plate, cut, and serve. Drizzle sauce over individual servings.
