Salmon En Croute makes the perfect family dinner and will impress your guests at a dinner party. It's also popular during the festive season.
This recipe will snugly encase a half-side salmon fillet in golden pastry, with a beautiful mushroom, cream cheese, and spinach filling.
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Check out the recipe card below to see how easy it is to cook this Salmon En Croute recipe. Read below for more tips and tricks, serving suggestions, and storage advice.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Salmon en Croute
Ingredients
Spinach filling
- 70 grams Unsalted Butter
- 2 Shallots - chopped
- 100 grams Mushrooms - we used chanterelle
- 5 clove Garlic
- 220 grams Fresh Spinach
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- sprinkle Salt
- 70 grams Breadcrumbs
- 200 grams Cream Cheese
- 10 grams Fresh Dill - chopped
Salmon and Pastry
- 700 g Half Salmon Side Fillet - skin removed
- 2 packs Ready Rolled Puff Pastry
- 1 Egg - whisked
Instructions
Cook the spinach filling first and allow to cool
- In a pan melt the 70 grams Unsalted Butter over medium heat. Finely chop the 2 Shallots and 5 clove Garlic. Roughly chop 100 grams Mushrooms if needed. Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and fry until softened.
- Add 220 grams Fresh Spinach , 1 teaspoon Black Pepper and a sprinkle Salt.Cook until spinach has wilted.
- Add the 200 grams Cream Cheese, 70 grams Breadcrumbs and chopped 10 grams Fresh Dill stir together, remove from the heat and place to one side to cool.
Salmon en Croute
- Preheat the oven 180°c Fan /200° C /400° F / Gas mark 6Lay parchment paper on a baking tray. Place 1 pack of puff pastry onto the parchment paper.Pat down the salmon dry with kitchen paper. Place the 700 g Half Salmon Side Fillet in the centre of the puff pastry sheet,
- Spread the cooled spinach filling on top of the salmon fillet.
- Place the second sheet of puff pastry over the salmon and spinach and press the pastry down around the edges.Tuck the corners to make it look more like a parcel.
- Cut away any excess pastry and fold the edges of the first sheet of pastry to meet the second.Use a fork to seal the two sheets together all around the edges.
- With a sharp knife score the top of the parcel with a criss-cross pattern, try not to cut too deep.
- Optional, with the leftover pastry, you can make decorations for the parcel, we made little fish. Whisk 1 Egg in a ramekin and use a pastry brush to coat all over the pastry with the whisked egg.
- Bake in the oven at 180°c Fan /200° C /400° F / Gas mark 6 for 30-35 minutes. Serve whilst hot. Enjoy!!
Video
Nutrition
This post was originally posted on 17/11/2019. It has been updated with more advice on ingredients and how to make salmon en croute. We have moved the recipe card up in the post on 12/06/2024 to make it more user-friendly.
Ingredients
I will detail the ingredients needed for this salmon en route recipe below see the recipe card for measurements.
Salmon
This recipe calls for a half-side salmon fillet with the skin removed. You can find them already prepared and packaged on supermarket shelves or at a fishmonger's.
Ask the fishmonger to cut from the head end, giving you a chunkier piece, and ask for the skin to be removed for this recipe.
If you cannot source a salmon side, you can also use multiple salmon fillets placed next to each other. If the salmon fillet you have is uneven, fold it back on itself to make it more of an even-sized rectangular piece.
Always pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper to remove excess liquid and prevent it from making the pastry soggy.
Puff Pastry
We use ready-rolled puff pastry by jus roll because it is easy and cost-effective. You will need two packs: one for the bottom and pastry edges and one for the top.
You could make an all-butter puff pastry or use shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry for a different finish.
Shallots
We find shallots have a milder, sweeter taste than onions, though onions can be used instead.
Mushrooms
We used Chanterelle mushrooms as we enjoy the slightly fruity flavour they have. However, you can use whatever mushroom your family prefers.
Garlic
We used garlic puree because it's the easiest option; you could also use roughly chopped, finely sliced, or minced garlic cloves instead.
Butter
Unsalted butter is best for recipes that are already seasoned and flavoured, like this one! If you use salted butter, do not add as much salt. You could use olive or other oils, but butter gives the best flavour and finish.
Spinach
Fresh spinach is better, frozen spinach will let off a lot of liquid when cooking.
If you are using frozen spinach, defrost and wring it out in a clean tea towel to remove all the liquid.
Cream Cheese
Any cream cheese will work for this salmon en croûte recipe as we will add plenty of flavours to it.
Supermarket own brand tends to be fairly inexpensive and has more in the tub, though Philadelphia is great too! You could use crème fraîche, sour cream or even mascarpone instead.
Breadcrumbs
We like to use any stale bread to make breadcrumbs by simply dropping it into a food processor. We then store this in an airtight container. You can also use store-bought bread.
Dill
Fresh dill is best for this recipe; roughly chop and add to the mix. If you are using dried dill instead, you will only need a small amount as it is very potent.
Egg
Brush a beaten egg mixture over the exposed pastry with a pastry brush. This egg wash gives the pastry a nice golden colour and a lovely shine.
Optional / Alternatives
Lemon
Adding a little lemon zest or juice to the filling adds an extra flavour.
Pesto
A quick, easy alternative to the tasty spinach mix for the salmon en croute would be a green pesto or a red pesto sauce.
Equipment
Instructions
In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook your mushrooms, garlic and shallots in butter, stirring regularly until the shallots are soft and golden. Add the spinach, salt and black pepper and cook until the spinach has wilted.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the cream cheese, breadcrumbs, and dill until well combined. You have a beautiful spinach mixture. Place this to one side to cool.
Preheat the oven and lay parchment paper over your baking tray (it's easy to wash up, and it won't stick!). Then, lay the rolled puff pastry sheet down and place your salmon in the centre.
If using multiple salmon fillets, you’ll simply lay them side by side. If using a salmon side, you’ll need to fold the thinner sides under so they are fairly even.
Spread the cooled spinach mixture over the top of the salmon fillets.
Place a second sheet of puff pastry over the salmon and filling, loosely covering it. Gently mould the pastry around the edges.
Cut away some excess pastry from the sides, then use a fork to seal around the exposed pastry edges to seal them well.
Salmon En Croute Decoration
Use a sharp knife to score a crisscross pattern in the pastry (be careful not to cut too deep).
Use the beaten egg mixture to coat the pastry.
It's optional but have some fun with leftover pastry scraps to create something on top. We went for some little fish! Pop them on top before you bake in the oven and brush them with the remaining egg.
Cooking time
Bake in the preheated oven at 180°c Fan /200° C /400° F / Gas mark 6 for 30 mins. It does require some supervision while cooking, I was watching it like a hawk to make sure it didn’t burn.
If it starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the remainder of the time so you keep that beautiful, golden pastry crust while the salmon finishes cooking.
Serving Suggestions
To accompany your Salmon En Croute, why not try some delicious side dishes? From the classic French parmentier potatoes with red cabbage and apple, to braised white cabbage with creamy mashed potato.
Or maybe go for something more inventive, like baby roast potatoes with air fryer carrots and minted pea puree. These sides are sure to make your meal more flavorful and complete.
Storage advice
Cooked salmon en croute can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Simply place it in an airtight container or wrap it in cling film.
You can also store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months, always defrost before reheating it.
Reheating
Reheat in a preheated oven at 180°c Fan /200° C /400° F / Gas mark 6 for 15 mins or in a microwave for a few minutes until it is hot all the way through.
History
‘En Croûte’ is a French word that translates to food cooked in pastry. Traditionally shortcrust pastry is used. Salmon En Croute gained popularity during Tudor times when the higher classes would use make fancy recipes to show their wealth.
FAQ’s
Yes, it can be made ahead of time and saved for later.
To do this, you'll want to assemble the salmon en croute as usual, place on a small baking tray, then wrap it up with cling film.
This will keep it in the fridge for up two days before your guests arrive.
You can also freeze the prepared salmon en croute for up to four months! Simply allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed on the recipe card.
Serving Salmon en Croute straight from the oven after cooking is best. But if you need to make and cook it ahead, you can still reheat it from chilled. See below for reheating advice.
To reheat a cooked salmon en croute, preheat your oven to 160°C fan/ 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4.
Place salmon en croute on a baking sheet, uncovered, and heat for about 15 minutes. Check to see if it is heated through. You don't want to overcook the salmon, as it will make it dry.
You can also freeze a cooked salmon en croute for up to four months! Simply allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as above.
You have two options: You can make smaller individual salmon en croute parcels and reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes.
Or you can place a few small salmon fillets next to each other on the pastry sheet to make it whole before adding the top sheet of pastry. This will need the full 30 minutes of cooking time.
Yep, we love the flavour spinach and mushrooms give it, but if your family doesn’t like spinach or mushrooms, it should be fine to leave it out.
More Salmon Recipe Ideas
If you like salmon, why not try our smoked salmon cocktail recipe. We have a couple of pasta salmon recipes our creamy salmon pasta or our salmon pesto pasta bake, which also uses a half side of salmon.
Other Fish Recipes
If you're looking for some more fish recipes to add to your repertoire, then look no further! Try our Sea Bream with chilli and garlic baked in foil. For something a bit different, why not try our Gambas Pil Pil prawns tossed in a spicy oil. Or if you're looking for something simpler, try out our delicious Tuna Burgers, succulent tuna patties.
More Pastry Recipes
Love pastry-wrapped meals, we have plenty of pastry recipe ideas for the family.
Harvey says
Hits all the high marks. A few suggestions from the US. Mushrooms and fresh spinach should be chopped somewhat (or remove stems from greens). Cream cheese should be at room temp and divided into pieces to assure even creaminess. Puff pastry sheets need to be rolled out to at least 50% larger. If preparing ahead of time, filling should be at room temperature before assembly.
Luke and Kay says
Thank you for trying our Salmon en croute and taking the time to write this review, Harvey! We are delighted to hear that it hits all the high marks for you.
We appreciate your suggestions and will definitely keep them in mind. 🙂
Jamie says
Another salmon dish and it looks amazingly delicious and very tasty! An instant favorite for me as salmon is one of my favorite fish treats! Loved it!
Luke and Kay says
Jamie, thank you so much for your wonderful review of our Salmon en Croute! We're so glad to hear that it's an instant favourite and that you enjoyed the taste. 🙂
Monica says
What a delicious and appetizing meal! This is one of my favorites because it's actually pretty easy to prepare but seems so impressive to everyone. Yum!
Luke and Kay says
Monica, thank you for your 5-star review! We are so glad to hear that our Salmon en croute is one of your favorites and that you feel it's easy to prepare. 🙂
Amy Liu Dong says
It tasted so good! Just finish my last salmon en croute earlier! 100/100! Very delicious!
Luke and Kay says
Amy, we're delighted to hear about your fantastic experience with the Salmon en Croute! We strive to create dishes that are not only delicious, but also a joy to present. We love hearing that you not only enjoyed it, but received a perfect score from you as well - thank you! 🙂
Jane says
Absolutely amazing dish. Would give more stars if I could. No soggy bottom, SUPERB!!!!!
Luke and Kay says
Thank you so much for your five-star review, Jane! We are overjoyed that your Salmon en croute experience was absolutely amazing and glad to hear that the bottom wasn't soggy. 🙂
Rose says
How many does this salmon en creute serve ?.
Luke and Kay says
Hi Rose our Salmon en croute recipe will serve up to 8 people
Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Julie says
Fantastic comes to mind. I was looking for something different for our tea using Salmon and came across your recipe.Having just two fillets I decided to half the recipe , it worked well and came out so good, not soggy on the bottom as afraid . I used frozen spinach making sure it was well drained.
It was so good I have enough ingredients left to make again for tonight’s tea and we will have sweet potato mash and peas with it . last night we had mini cubed roasted pots in air fryer and green
beans .
I look forward to making more of your recipes
,
Luke and Kay says
Thank you for your wonderful review, Julie! We're so glad that you decided to try out our Salmon En Croute recipe and enjoyed it so much that you are making it again tonight. We are delighted that you found the recipe worked well even when halved, and even more thrilled to hear that you plan on trying some of our other recipes too. 🙂
We have a few air fryer recipes you might like for sides to go with your salmon en croute like Air Fryer Corn on the Cob Air Fryer Baby Potatoes they are superb 😉
Emma C says
Delicious and easy. A new favourite! Just make sure you buy salmon without skin as it’s tricky to remove before cooking. I just lined up 4 Aldi salmon fillets on the pastry and used 1.5 pieces of the flat square frozen puff pastry slightly overlapping top and bottom. It worked perfectly and there was just enough pastry cut off to make the cute little fish decorations too. We had this for Easter but will make it again for dinner parties. Thanks for the recipe!
Luke and Kay says
Thank you for taking the time to review Salmon en croute, Emma! We’re so glad that it was a hit in your home, and we are especially delighted to hear that you found our recipe helpful.
We especially appreciate your recommendation to buy salmon without skin; thanks again for supporting us, and we hope you continue to enjoy our recipes! 🙂
Chris says
Excellent recipe, one of the best salmon dishes I’ve had, we used pillsbury pie crusts in lieu of puff pastry, worked beautifully thank you!!!
Luke and Kay says
Thank you for trying our Salmon en Croute recipe, Chris! We're so glad to hear you enjoyed it. The puff pastry is a great way to top the salmon, but the pie crusts work just as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this dish. We hope you'll give it another try soon. 🙂
Elfie says
Really delicious and moist everyone loved it.
Kay says
Thank you, Elfie! We're so glad you and your guests enjoyed the Salmon en Croute. It's definitely one of our favourites! 🙂
Leila says
Delicious, thank you so much for the recipe! Made this for Christmas and it was a real hit. Seasoned the salmon with some lemon zest and added some chilli flakes to the filling for a bit of spice.😋
Kay says
You're welcome, Leila! We're glad you enjoyed the recipe. Seasoning the salmon with lemon zest and chili flakes sounds delicious--we'll have to try that next time we make it. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.