Serves 6
Salmon Wellington is a riff on the classic British dish, Beef Wellington, said to have been invented in the 19th century. This version is streamlined, and a satisfying baking project. You need two rectangles of flaky dough, a pan of chopped, sauteed mushrooms, which is called duxelles, and oven-poached fresh salmon. The mushrooms and salmon are layered on the bottom dough, the top rectangle goes on, and the Wellington is sent into a hot oven to puff and brown. Instead of making your own dough, use a commercial all-butter puff pastry. Dufour, available at Whole Foods Market, or the house brand at Trader Joe’s (both are frozen) will lighten your load. You can make duxelles a couple days in advance, and poach the fish the day before, so all you have to do is roll the pastry and assemble the layers. Allow half a day for the pastry to defrost in the fridge (not at room temperature) and another 30 minutes to chill the Wellington before baking. It looks best on a large board or stone slab. To serve it, cut it lengthwise in half, then crosswise into squares and garnish with greens. Start the new year in style.
PASTRY AND FILLING
| 1 | package (14 to 18 ounces) frozen all-butter puff pastry |
| 1 | pound boneless salmon |
| 1 | teaspoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 2 | tablespoons butter |
| 1 | pound mixed button and shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
1. Leave the frozen pastry in the refrigerator for half a day to defrost. Do not defrost it at room temperature.
2. Open the pastry and spread it out. If it comes in 2 pieces, separate them. If it comes in one large piece, cut it almost in half; one piece should be 1/2-inch larger than the other. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the rectangles on the sheet, separating them with parchment paper; refrigerate.
3. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 10-inch baking dish or another dish that will hold the salmon with 1-inch around it. Line the dish with a piece of parchment paper that has a 2-inch overhang (you need enough paper to cover the fish completely).
4. Set the fish, skin side down, in the parchment. Rub the fish with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring two sides of the paper over the fish and tuck under the edges so the fish is completely encased.
5. Bake the fish for 15 minutes, or until it is very firm to the touch and just cooked through (125 on a meat thermometer). If the fish is thick, it may take 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven; set aside to cool.
6. Use a slotted metal spoon to lift the fish from the parchment paper and transfer to a plate. Flake the fish into 2-inch pieces, discarding the skin.
7. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms release their liquid and all the liquid in the pan evaporates. It’s very important that the mushrooms are dry at this point. Stir in the parsley. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
ASSEMBLY
| Flour (for sprinkling) | |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water (for the glaze) |
| 2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard |
| 2 | tablespoons panko or other plain white breadcrumbs |
| 1 | bunch watercress, microgreens, or Italian parsley (for garnish) |
1. Remove both rectangles of dough from the refrigerator and lift them off the parchment. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the smaller rectangle to about 8-by-16-inches. Lift it onto the rolling pin and return it to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Brush a 1-inch border all around the rectangle with the egg glaze. Keeping the border clean, spread the center of the rectangle with Dijon mustard. Sprinkle the mustard with panko or breadcrumbs. Make an even layer of mushrooms, leaving the 1-inch border empty. Add the salmon, leaving the border empty. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
3. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the larger rectangle so it is 1/2-inch larger all around than the bottom piece (about 8 1/2-by-16 1/2-inches). Lift it onto the rolling pin and ease it onto the salmon, taking care to keep the corners of the bottom piece even with the top piece. The sides of the two rectangles should be even. If they’re not even, use scissors to cut them.
4. Use the tines of a fork dipped into flour to press the edges closed all around the rectangle. Brush the entire rectangle, top and edges, with egg glaze. Use a sharp knife to make very shallow lines on a diagonal across the pastry; take care not to cut all the way through the pastry. Going the other way on a diagonal, make very shallow lines.
5. Chill the rectangle on the baking sheet for 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour). Set the oven at 400 degrees.
6. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake the Wellington for 30 minutes, turning the sheet from back to front halfway through baking, or until the top is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the center of the pastry registers 160 degrees. Remove the pastry from the oven. Let it sit in a warm place for 5 minutes.
7. Using the parchment as a sling, carefully slide the Wellington onto a large board or stone. Cut the rectangle lengthwise in half, then cut each half crosswise into large squares. Garnish with watercress, microgreens, or parsley.
Sheryl Julian
Serves 6
Salmon Wellington is a riff on the classic British dish, Beef Wellington, said to have been invented in the 19th century. This version is streamlined, and a satisfying baking project. You need two rectangles of flaky dough, a pan of chopped, sauteed mushrooms, which is called duxelles, and oven-poached fresh salmon. The mushrooms and salmon are layered on the bottom dough, the top rectangle goes on, and the Wellington is sent into a hot oven to puff and brown. Instead of making your own dough, use a commercial all-butter puff pastry. Dufour, available at Whole Foods Market, or the house brand at Trader Joe’s (both are frozen) will lighten your load. You can make duxelles a couple days in advance, and poach the fish the day before, so all you have to do is roll the pastry and assemble the layers. Allow half a day for the pastry to defrost in the fridge (not at room temperature) and another 30 minutes to chill the Wellington before baking. It looks best on a large board or stone slab. To serve it, cut it lengthwise in half, then crosswise into squares and garnish with greens. Start the new year in style.
PASTRY AND FILLING
| 1 | package (14 to 18 ounces) frozen all-butter puff pastry |
| 1 | pound boneless salmon |
| 1 | teaspoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 2 | tablespoons butter |
| 1 | pound mixed button and shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
1. Leave the frozen pastry in the refrigerator for half a day to defrost. Do not defrost it at room temperature.
2. Open the pastry and spread it out. If it comes in 2 pieces, separate them. If it comes in one large piece, cut it almost in half; one piece should be 1/2-inch larger than the other. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the rectangles on the sheet, separating them with parchment paper; refrigerate.
3. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 10-inch baking dish or another dish that will hold the salmon with 1-inch around it. Line the dish with a piece of parchment paper that has a 2-inch overhang (you need enough paper to cover the fish completely).
4. Set the fish, skin side down, in the parchment. Rub the fish with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring two sides of the paper over the fish and tuck under the edges so the fish is completely encased.
5. Bake the fish for 15 minutes, or until it is very firm to the touch and just cooked through (125 on a meat thermometer). If the fish is thick, it may take 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven; set aside to cool.
6. Use a slotted metal spoon to lift the fish from the parchment paper and transfer to a plate. Flake the fish into 2-inch pieces, discarding the skin.
7. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms release their liquid and all the liquid in the pan evaporates. It’s very important that the mushrooms are dry at this point. Stir in the parsley. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
ASSEMBLY
| Flour (for sprinkling) | |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water (for the glaze) |
| 2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard |
| 2 | tablespoons panko or other plain white breadcrumbs |
| 1 | bunch watercress, microgreens, or Italian parsley (for garnish) |
1. Remove both rectangles of dough from the refrigerator and lift them off the parchment. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the smaller rectangle to about 8-by-16-inches. Lift it onto the rolling pin and return it to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Brush a 1-inch border all around the rectangle with the egg glaze. Keeping the border clean, spread the center of the rectangle with Dijon mustard. Sprinkle the mustard with panko or breadcrumbs. Make an even layer of mushrooms, leaving the 1-inch border empty. Add the salmon, leaving the border empty. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
3. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the larger rectangle so it is 1/2-inch larger all around than the bottom piece (about 8 1/2-by-16 1/2-inches). Lift it onto the rolling pin and ease it onto the salmon, taking care to keep the corners of the bottom piece even with the top piece. The sides of the two rectangles should be even. If they’re not even, use scissors to cut them.
4. Use the tines of a fork dipped into flour to press the edges closed all around the rectangle. Brush the entire rectangle, top and edges, with egg glaze. Use a sharp knife to make very shallow lines on a diagonal across the pastry; take care not to cut all the way through the pastry. Going the other way on a diagonal, make very shallow lines.
5. Chill the rectangle on the baking sheet for 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour). Set the oven at 400 degrees.
6. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake the Wellington for 30 minutes, turning the sheet from back to front halfway through baking, or until the top is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the center of the pastry registers 160 degrees. Remove the pastry from the oven. Let it sit in a warm place for 5 minutes.
7. Using the parchment as a sling, carefully slide the Wellington onto a large board or stone. Cut the rectangle lengthwise in half, then cut each half crosswise into large squares. Garnish with watercress, microgreens, or parsley.
Collected by Cookingtom
Original Article
I’m Brian Danny Max, a chef and a writer at cookingtom.com. I’m here to talk about food and cooking, and to share some of my favorite recipes with you all! I’ve been interested in food and cooking since I was a child. My parents are both great cooks, and they taught me a lot about the kitchen. I’ve been cooking professionally for about 10 years now, and I’ve loved every minute of it! I specialize in healthy, flavorful recipes that are easy to make at home. I believe that anyone can cook a delicious meal, no matter their skill level. I’m here to help you learn how to cook, and to show you that it’s not as difficult as you might think! I hope you’ll check out my blog and my recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you!