Salmon Wellington – Simply Home Cooked

18 April 2024

Published: Apr 17, 2024 by Dina

This Salmon Wellington takes dinner to a whole new level. It’s a savory dish of seasoned salmon that is placed on a bed of cheesy sautéed spinach and wrapped in puff pastry dough.

Serve this salmon wellington with a side of Garlic Asparagus or Scalloped Potatoes.

Table Of Contents

Recipe Details

Salmon Wellington, also known as Salmon en Croute, is made with baked puff pastry that is filled with a cheesy sauteed spinach and seasoned salmon fillets. I love this elegant dish because it’s utterly delicious and sure to impress anyone you serve it to.

TASTE: The flavor of the salmon is enhanced by the white wine and buttery, cheesy spinach filling. The light sweetness of the outer pastry is the perfect complement.
TEXTURE: The salmon is tender and layered with creamy, cheesy spinach and wrapped in delicate and flaky puff pastry.
TIME: It takes just 45 minutes.
EASE: This is an easy dish to make. Just prepare the filling, wrap it, and bake it for a fabulous dinner.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Salmon Wellington: salmon, puff pastry, cream cheese, Parmesan, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, shallots, garlic, butter, egg, spinach, and white wine.

Ingredient Notes

Salmon- You can use fresh or thawed fillets. Remove the skin and check for pin bones to be sure they are all taken out.
Puff pastry-These add a delicate layer around the salmon that bakes up flaky and delicious. You can also use thinly rolled dough in its place.
Cream cheese- Use full-fat to get the richest flavor.
Shallots- These have a mild oniony flavor that is delicate enough to not overpower this dish.
White wine- This adds a unique flavor that is gorgeous in this filling. The alcohol cooks out and the flavor is infused with the shallots and garlic.
Egg- This acts as a binder for the spinach filling.
Spinach- Fresh spinach is best, but in a pinch, you can use frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained.

Add-ins and Substitutions

Add dill and honey mustard- Add the herbaceous flavor of fresh dill with tangy honey mustard for something different.
Substitute the protein- You can make this with beef, chicken, or pork loin as well.
Add prosciutto- A layer of thinly sliced prosciutto will add earthy, salty flavor to this Salmon Wellington that is delicious.
Substitute feta cheese- In place of the Parmesan, add feta cheese crumbles for a salty, briny flavor in the cheesy spinach filling.

How to Make Salmon Wellington

Saute the shallots and garlic. In a pan, heat the butter, chopped shallots, and garlic over medium heat. Sauté until the shallots become translucent.
Add the wine and cream cheese.Bring the heat to high and add the white wine. Let it cook out for about 5 minute, then add the cream cheese and sauté for 1 minute.

Steps to make Salmon Wellington: saute butter, shallots, and garlic, then add white wine, and then cream cheese.

Add the spinach, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Lastly, add the spinach, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Sauté just until the the spinach softens.

Steps to make Salmon Wellington: add the spinach, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese.

Prep the puff pastry. Unfold the puff pastry onto a light floured surface and roll out the 2 sheets, then cut them in half (each piece is about 10×14 inches).
Add the salmon to the pastry. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place them in the middle of each puff pastry sheet.
Add the spinach filling. Divide the spinach mixture into 4 equal parts and evenly spread it on top of the 4 fillets. Then brush the edges of the puff pastry with egg wash.
Fold. Begin folding the the puff pastry over starting with the longer side, then the shorter side.

Pro Tip: Leave about 2 inches around the edges of the filling so there is enough puff pastry to fold tightly.

Steps to make Salmon Wellington: place the salmon fillets on the cut and rolled out puff pastry sheets, adding the spinach mixture on top and then brushing with egg wash before folding.

Add crosshatch marks. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the salmon wellington seam side down. Make crosshatch slits on top of each with a knife. Then brush with more egg wash.
Bake. Bake at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Steps to make Salmon Wellington: fold the wellingtons and then cut a crosshatch pattern into them before adding egg wash and baking.

Recipe Tips

Save time- Make the cheesy spinach mixture a few hours in advance. Also, thaw and cut the puff pastry a few hours prior to assembly, storing it in the fridge tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
Adjust the pastry for the fillet- Depending on the size of the fillet, you may need to roll out the puff pastry a little more or less.
Add more egg wash to the short sides- When folding over the short edges, brush more of the egg wash before folding to help it hold.
Finish with egg wash- Adding egg wash to the entire wellington gives it a wonderful golden brown coloring and crisp outer layer.

FAQs

What is the difference between En Croute and Wellington?

Salmon Wellington and Salmon en Croute are the same except the en croute is topped with pate. There is no topping with a wellington.

How do you make Wellington not soggy?

Make sure that your spinach is fresh or well drained if it was thawed to avoid extra moisture in the salmon wellington. Also, adding an egg wash to the entire outside of the puff pastry can form a moisture barrier as it cooks.

Close up of a Salmon Wellington with a slice cut off.

Serving Suggestions

This Salmon Wellington is a delicious and creamy dish in a flaky puff pastry crust. It tastes wonderful when served with salads, grains, veggies, and potatoes.

Grains: Serve this wellington on a bed of Wild Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Quinoa Fried Rice, or with a Shrimp Quinoa Bowl.
Salads: Enjoy this main dish with a green salad, like this Spinach Salad, Cabbage Cucumber Salad, Strawberry Feta Spinach Salad, or Broccoli Cranberry Salad.
Vegetables: Pair this Salmon Wellington with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, or Air Fryer Green Beans.
Potatoes: Serve this dish with some Scalloped Potatoes, Super Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Potato Wedges, or Crispy Air Fryer Baby Potatoes.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: You can prepare the spinach mixture ahead of time and thaw the puff pastry, placing both in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and bake.

Storing: Store this Salmon Wellington in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the oven or the microwave, but the latter will make it less flaky and crisp on the outside.

Freeze: If the salmon was previously frozen, then it’s not advised to refreeze it. However, if it was made with fresh salmon, then you can freeze these wellingtons for up to 3 months. Thaw and bake in the oven until warmed through and crispy on the outside.

More Delicious Salmon Dishes!

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This recipe was originally posted on Dec 30, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. This post has Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this recipe.

This salmon wellington recipe was featured in Women’s Day Magazine. Find the article HERE

Full Recipe Instructions