salmon wellington (salmon en croute)

Salmon wellington is wrapped up with a silky mascarpone dijon sauce, a ton of fresh baby spinach and flaky, buttery puff pastry. Make it ahead and bake it to order for a dream dinner!

Salmon wellington is such an impressive dish! But beyond looks-- it’s super practical for entertaining (you can make it all ahead of time) and it’s so delicious. I elevate this salmon wellington with a silky dijon cream sauce and a ton of baby spinach to make it extra perfect. Believe me, you’ll want extra spinach to spare for the cook’s treat.

Keep on reading to learn how to make salmon wellington, what to serve it with (including wine pairings!), and how you can make some simple substitutions.

what is salmon wellington?

Salmon wellington, also known as salmon en croute, is fresh salmon and creamy spinach wrapped up in a flaky puff pastry package. The salmon can be made in individual portions or wrapped up as a whole filet for a stunning entreé.

salmon wellington ingredients:

why this is the best salmon wellington:

Fresh baby spinach: We use a TON of spinach here. It cooks down a lot, but I also prefer spinach on the top and bottom of the salmon. The sauce infuses flavor throughout the fish so you get moist, flavor-packed salmon and spinach in every bite.

Sauce for serving: This is key. Without extra sauce, salmon wellington is always a little dry. We pull off just enough sauce for serving so you are guaranteed something to drag that moist salmon through!

Dijon: This mustard just goes so well with salmon, spinach and cream. It adds complexity and a little bite.

White wine: The extra acidity balances all the richness of the cream, mascarpone and buttery puff pastry. We cook it down to get concentrated flavor without any extra liquid.

Mascarpone: A lot of salmon wellington recipes use cream cheese, but I just love the velvety, subtle touch of mascarpone! It has a wonderful buttery flavor and rich texture.

Store-bought puff pastry: There’s literally no need to make puff pastry from scratch unless you just love the process. Frozen puff pastry is amazing: it tastes great, it thaws perfectly, and it’s super reliable!

how to make salmon wellington:

1. Sauté spinach, squeeze dry.
2. Cook shallot and garlic, add and reduce wine.
3. Add cream and Dijon, cook until thickened.
4. Pull off ½ cup sauce for serving.
5. Stir in mascarpone and spinach.
6. Roll out puff pastry, cut into 4 large pieces.
7. Spoon spinach onto a puff pastry square, add salmon, top with more spinach.
8. Fold puff pastry around salmon into a packet.
9. Brush with egg wash, score and bake!

how to make salmon wellington ahead of time:

• Make the spinach and the sauce up to a day ahead.
• Wrap the salmon into puff pastry packets the morning of.
• Freeze the unbaked salmon en croute for up to 1 month.
  • Before freezing, score them then wrap tightly with a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, to keep them protected from frost. Brush the frozen puff pastry packets with egg wash and bake, still frozen, adding on 5- 7 more minutes to the cook time.

more recipe tips:

• Thaw the puff pastry overnight for the best results. You can thaw it at room temperature for about 30 minutes-- just be very patient and let it thaw more if the dough cracks when you unfold it.
• Squeeze spinach as dry as possible. Then, when assembling the salmon wellington, let any excess liquid sauce drip of the spinach before spreading it onto the puff pastry. Too much liquid will cause the pastry to get soggy and tear.
• This is a substantial meal! For smaller portions, use smaller cuts of salmon (like 4- 5 oz). These are harder to find if you buy them pre-cut, but you can easily get them from a fishmonger.
• Measure the puff pastry and, if possible, err on the side of rolling them out too big! Fish filets come in all shapes and there’s nothing more frustrating than not having enough pastry to wrap around the fish.

ingredient substitutes: 

• Cream cheese in place of mascarpone.
• Any type of fish in place of the salmon.
• Frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) in place of fresh baby spinach.

what to serve with salmon wellington:

I love to serve this salmon with a simple and fresh salad-- something light to balance the richness of the puff pastry and mascarpone cream sauce. This butter lettuce salad and our cucumber avocado salad are both favorites!

This is a substantial meal-- while it may not look like a lot, the fish, the spinach, the puff pastry all add up to plenty of food. I don’t generally feel it’s necessary to add another side, but if you want to be safe or if you have big eaters, try serving it over a bed of creamy parmesan risotto, red skin mashed potatoes, or with a side of braised artichokes!

what wine to serve with salmon wellington:

The beauty of salmon is you can easily serve it with with red wine or white wine!

It’s a flavorful fish and, along with the puff pastry and dijon flavors, it can be lovely with a fruit-forward New World Pinot Noir. Try a Sonoma Pinot Noir!

You could also highlight the creamy sauce, buttery mascarpone, and delicate spinach with full-bodied, barrel-fermented Chardonnary. Try some from the Russian River Valley.

Non-traditional pairings are my favorite though, and for something really fun I would try a Nerello Mascalese from Mount Etna, Sicily: these are high acid, light red wines that are elegant and filled with delicate herbs and red fruit flavors. Look for Etna Rosso DOC.

For a non-traditional white, try a Hunter Valley Semillon that has an electric acidity to balance the rich salmon, a creamy texture, and toasty, lemony flavors.

more salmon recipes to try:

salmon alfredo

salmon crudo

salmon poke bowl

salmon rillettes

smoked salmon crostini

smoked salmon toast

miso salmon bowl

herb-crusted salmon

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