Farmed salmon is relatively cheap and readily available, making it the perfect choice for an entrée if you’re on a budget and planning a lazy get-together.
But instead of poaching it, you could, with very little extra effort, bake the salmon wrapped in a layer of puff pastry. Do this and it will automatically raise the salmon to dinner status.
The beauty of this dish is that it can be made up to 6 hours ahead of time, saving you the last minute fuss in the kitchen. All you have to do is pop the salmon package in the oven for about half an hour, giving you time to relax and chat with your guests.
Salmon en croute is especially good served with a creamy sorrel sauce. If you haven’t come across sorrel before, you’re in for a surprise. This little-used herb has tart, citrusy undertones that cut through the oily richness of the salmon and complement it perfectly.
Salmon En Croute Recipe
Portion size: 4
Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour
effort level: Easy
Duration: 2 days if refrigerated
Ingredients:
1 side of salmon
75 g unsalted butter at room temperature
500 g puff pastry package.
10 g fresh dill
30 g fresh sorrel leaves
1 egg
Flour
sorrel sauce
60 g fresh sorrel leaves
2 shallots
100ml of dry white wine or dry vermouth
120 ml of fish or chicken broth
100 ml double cream (heavy)
NB If you can’t find sorrel, use basil and lemon zest in the butter. For the sauce, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a little zest and chopped dill just before serving and modify to your personal taste. The sauce can be made ahead of time (until the final stage before adding the sorrel) and then reheated, at which point the sorrel is added.
Equipment:
cutting board and sharp knife
pastry brush
Baking tray
Kitchen towel
tweezers (optional)
1 small bowl
1 cup of tea
1 fork
1 medium saucepan
This is what you do:
NB: If using a whole salmon, leave the fillets whole and when you pair them, place the thinner edge of one fillet over the thicker edge of the fillet below and bake some more.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F/ Gas 6
Start by making the herb butter. Place the softened butter in a bowl. Finely chop the sorrel and dump over the butter, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
Remove the skin from the salmon if the fishmonger has not done so for you. Place salmon skin side up. Make an incision at the base of the tail, then secure the salmon tail with one hand and gently remove the skin with the other using a knife to help coax it (don’t rip it or the meat will come off too).
With the skin removed, flip the salmon over and then run your fingers through the center of the fish, feeling for the bones, start at the top and work your way down to the middle of the fillet, then pinch with your fingertips or use a pair. of tweezers.
Dry the salmon fillet with a kitchen towel and cut off the narrow part of the tail (use it for something else) and then cut the remaining fillet in half widthwise.
Spread the herb butter over half the salmon, then place the other half on top and even them together. Place the narrow end over the wide end, so that both ends are the same thickness.
Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough using the salmon as a guide for size, then place the salmon in the center of the dough.
Beat the egg and brush the dough. Lift the two longest sides of the dough and press them together to form a seam, then fold up the shorter edges of the dough to create a neat package.
Turn the salmon package over so that the seam is on the bottom, and place on a baking sheet.
Score a crisscross pattern over the dough with the back of a small knife, then brush with beaten egg. Season with freshly ground salt and black pepper. (At this stage, you can either return the salmon package to the refrigerator until needed, or cook it in the oven.)
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
For the sauce, finely chop the shallots and boil in the chicken/fish stock with the vermouth or wine until reduced to about 4 tablespoons (this will take about 20 minutes). Now add the cream and keep boiling. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat when the sauce has thickened. Cut the sorrel leaves into thin strips and stir them into the sauce so they wilt in the heat instead of overcooking.
Serve the sauce with the salmon.