Salmon Wellington

Traditional beef Wellington is a series of parcels – beef wrapped in mushroom, wrapped in crêpe, wrapped in pastry – and the method can easily be adapted to other proteins, especially salmon which looks very pretty with its orange flesh contrasting against the golden pastry. When making salmon Wellington there’s no need to sear the fish, but it is a good idea to salt it well and set aside for a while to firm it up and season it. The only other variation from the classic recipe is cutting an incision where the thinner belly flap of the fish meets the thicker body portion so that you can easily fold it under to form a neat block (see the video below). Use a good all-butter puff pastry, such as Carême.

Serves 2

Ingredients

280g piece salmon fillet, skin off, pin-boned
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Mushroom Duxelles
Plain flour, for dusting
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (about 36 x 27cm)
1 small sprig rosemary, leaves picked
2 x 20cm Crêpes

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons water
Pinch salt flakes, crushed

Method

Sprinkle salmon generously with salt, pat it in well and set aside for 20–30 minutes, then use a clean damp cloth to wipe it off.
Meanwhile, place Mushroom Duxelles between 2 layers of baking paper and roll out into a strip about 30cm long and 2cm wider on each side than the salmon.
Place the salmon on a chopping board skin-side down and make an incision where the thinner belly flap joins the thicker section of flesh without cutting quite all the way through.
Roll the thinner belly section under the thicker section to form a neat block.
Rub mustard all over the fish.
Peel off the top layer of paper from the Duxelles and place the salmon in the centre of the Duxelles towards one end.
Using the bottom sheet of paper, carefully roll the sheet of Duxelles around the salmon. Use your hands to gently mould it around the salmon if need be, trim off any excess then twist the ends of the paper to secure it. Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. Use excess Duxelles and pastry trimmings to make cheese and mushroom pies.
Meanwhile, make Egg Wash: Whisk yolk, salt and water together to combine well. Set aside.
Unwrap salmon, leaving it on the sheet of paper and drape 1 crêpe over it.
Place on a clean, dry worksurface, crêpe down, then drape the other crêpe over it
Fold the crêpe around the salmon to enclose it on all sides, trimming off any excess to form a neat parcel with minimal overlap of crêpe. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
If using Carême pastry place it on a work bench on the plastic sheet it’s rolled in, otherwise place it on a lightly floured work bench.
Trim off a 36 x 10cm strip (cutting through the plastic sheet as well) and set aside in the fridge on the plastic.
Brush Egg Wash all over the large piece of pastry.
Place the salmon in the centre and fold the pastry around it, trimming off excess and, if necessary, using that to patch any uncovered sections of salmon so it’s completely enclosed.
Use the paper to turn the parcel over onto a baking paper-lined baking tray, seam side down, and pinch the pastry at each end to seal it. Brush the top and sides well with Egg Wash and set aside.
Place the smaller strip of pastry on the work bench on its plastic sheet (or on a piece of baking paper).
Dust the top well with flour then, holding the end closest to you in place with one hand, firmly roll a lattice roller cutter over it.
Gently open up the latticed pastry, using a small sharp knife to open up any sections that aren’t completely cut.
Drape it over the salmon parcel, trim off any excess and tuck the edges in to give a neat appearance. If you don’t have a lattice cutter you can skip this step or cut some thin strips of pastry to decorate the parcel.
Brush lightly with Egg Wash taking care not to trap too much inside the lattice cuts.
Place a rosemary leaf inside each cut, all pointing in the same direction.
Reduce oven to 200°C and place the tray inside.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt, use a serrated knife to cut in half and serve.