Article and Recipe courtesy: Gerry Delval

The name Salmon Wellington sounds like a thick upper lip English royal meal, but saumon en croûte sounds so much more delicious. Man, these French are not just culinary experts, but they have such a – je ne sais quoi – way of expressing themselves. Some recipes prepare a whole salmon fillet in one large pastry. Renowned and reclusive chef, Chef Gérard, however, who is known for his culinary ingenuity, prefers to make individual portions – eat your heart out Jamie. I agree with him because it is better for two reasons: you make just the right amount, so you have no leftovers; and you can serve plated meals, so you have a less crowded table and cleanup is much easier.

And so, I secured Chef Gérard’s permission to share with you his award winning saumon en croûte recipe. I must first give you the bad news and the good news about this recipe. The bad news is that there are quite a few steps that add to the preparation time. The good news is that many of these steps can be done ahead of time. If you are serving this for guests, you will be able to not only impress them with a culinary masterpiece, but you will also be able to socialize with them rather than toiling in the kitchen while they are eating all of your appies without you.

SAUMON EN CROÛTE RECIPE

(for 2 portions)

Ingredients

• 2 rectangular salmon fillet portions, about 100 g each, 2-3 cm at the thickest and 6-8 cm wide, skin removed (Note: If your fillet is too thin, you can build it up with pieces since it will all be wrapped in the pastry.)
• 1 sheet of puff pastry – eg Tenderflake frozen puff pastry, comes in a package of two cubes
• 15 g unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest 
• 1/4 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil, or more as needed
• 4 cups (about 150 g) of baby spinach
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
• 1 egg yolk

Method

1. Preparing the salmon fillet portions – Can be done one day ahead.

a.   Cut two rectangular individual portions from the centre part of a salmon fillet and freeze the remaining pieces for another time. If you are preparing 4 portions, you will need 2 fillets unless you have a really huge fillet. 

b.    Skin each portion.

c.    Wrap in plastic film or in a sandwich bag.

d.    Set aside in the refrigerator.

2. Preparing the stuffing – Can be done one day ahead.

a.       Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the spinach in large handfuls and cook until wilted. Add oil if the skillet starts to dry out.

b.       Stir in the garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

c.       Stir in the Parmesan.

d.       Remove from heat and let cool.  

e.       When cooled, place in a small sealable food storage container.

f.    Set aside in the refrigerator.

3.  Assembling the individual portions – Can be done a few hours ahead.

a.       Defrost the puff pastry as per the instructions on the package. (Note – If you use the Tenderflake product, one cube will be just right for 2 salmon portions.)

b.       Melt the butter in a small bowl or saucepan. Stir in the Dijon, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Set aside.

c.       In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water. Set aside.

d.       Place one puff pastry cube (for 2 portions) on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into two thin rectangles, each a little larger than twice the dimensions of one salmon fillet potion.

e.       Transfer the salmon fillet portions from the refrigerator onto a plate. Also remove the spinach stuffing from the refrigerator. Liberally spoon the tops of each salmon portion with half the butter mixture, then place each portion, butter side down, in the center of each rolled pastry rectangle. Spread half of the spinach stuffing on top of each salmon portion.

f.         Fold one long side of the puff pastry over the top of the stuffed fillet portion like a flap, so that it partially covers it, then brush the top of the flap with egg. Fold the opposite side, sticking it to the first. Brush the tops of each end and fold them over as well in order to complete the wrap. Turn each wrapped portion over and place seam down on a plate.

g.       Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

h.       Set aside the remaining egg yoke for basting just prior to baking.

4. Baking the salmon

a.       Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200 C (180 for a convection oven).

b.       Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

c.        Transfer the salmon wraps to the baking sheet, seam down, smooth side up.

d.       Brush the tops and sides of each wrap with the remainder of the egg yolk.

e.       With a sharp knife, score shallow diagonal lines in each pastry top in a cross hatched pattern. Be careful not to cut through the puff pastry.

f.        Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown.

g.       Leave to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.

Serve hot!

Accompanying Vegetable Dish

Chef Gérard recommends roasted Brussel sprouts as an accompanying dish with his saumon en croûte. His roasted sprouts are quite simple to make. The sprouts can be prepared ahead and they only take about 10 minutes to roast, which can be done in the final 10 minutes of the salmon’s baking.

(Readers with a sharp eye will notice that the pictures do not show Brussels sprouts. This is because of a supply chain issue and no Brussels sprouts in the grocery store when doing the grocery shopping. So, I had to innovate and I prepared fine French green beans and a light fluffy purée – man, Chef Gérard would be so proud of me to come up with this great substitution.)

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS RECIPE

(for 2 portions)

Ingredients

• 250 – 275 g of fresh Brussel sprouts
• 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts or cashews
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Slice off a thin slice of the stem end for a clean end and remove the outer layer of leaves.
2. Cut the sprouts in half. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and roast the sprouts at medium high, stirring often.  
4. Salt and pepper to taste midway through and add oil if the skillet looks dry.
5. The sprouts must be browned but not burnt.
6. When the sprouts are beginning to brown, toss in the nuts to alŀow them to roast slightly.
7. Remove from heat and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar, stirring immediately.
8. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

PAIRED WINE

Without any hesitation, Chef Gérard told me to pair a French rosé with the saumon en croûte. French rosés are light in colour and dry, as opposed to North American rosés that tend to be sweet and darker in colour.  Light and dry works well but darker and sweet does not.

Bon appétit

– Gerry Delval