Making a Salmon Wellington at home couldn't be easier... or more delicious. Imagine a moist and perfectly seasoned piece of salmon tucked away under a creamy spinach filling. Then, it's wrapped up in a buttery, flaky puff pastry! If you ever want to impress your friends and family, or just have a restaurant-style meal at home - you MUST make this.
Although I've also tried the beef version - the salmon variation of Wellington (also known as salmon en croute) is supreme in my opinion! The salmon stays moist and flaky while baking because of a layer of dijon mustard. Serve this for a beautiful brunch or dinner with sheet pan roasted asparagus and creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $5.43
- Total Cost (6 servings): $21.72
- Those Other Guys: $28.00 per serving
Ingredients
- Frozen Puff Pastry Dough - The main key to making puff-pastry salmon is... puff pastry of course. Let the sheets thaw on the counter for 20 or so minutes before cooking, to get them nice and pliable.
- Salmon Filets - We're going with a simple spice blend for seasoning the fish, so grab quality pieces of salmon! Be sure it's skinless and boneless.
- Dijon Mustard - Brushing some Dijon mustard on the salmon filets helps them stay nice and moist during the baking process.
- Sautéed Spinach Mix - This Salmon Wellington recipe has a beautiful, cheesy sautéed spinach mixture. You're going to need spinach, minced shallots, minced garlic, cream cheese, fresh parmesan, and a hint of lemon juice to lighten it up.
- Egg Wash - The key to a beautiful crust is in egg wash! All you need is an egg + some water. Whisk it up until smooth, and then brush it onto the pastry right before baking. This also helps seal all of our folds.
- Seasonings - For the salmon, we keep it simple with salt and pepper. Our spinach mix is seasoned with a hint of dill, which pairs very well with seafood!
How to Make & Fold a Salmon Wellington
Step 1: Create the Spinach Mixture. Melt salted butter and lemon juice into a small skillet. Add the minced shallot and garlic, and sauté until fragrant (Image 1). Pour in the frozen chopped spinach (Image 2).
Pour in the cream cheese, shredded parmesan, and seasonings. (Image 3). Cook and stir together until everything is mixed well, then remove from heat and let cool (Image 4).
Step 2: Prepare your salmon filets and puff pastry. Season your boneless, skinless salmon filets with salt, pepper, and dijon mustard on all sides (Images 5 & 6).
Whisk together an egg with a bit of water to make an egg wash (Image 7). Gently roll out your thawed puff pastry dough, about 2 more inches all around. (Image 8).
Step 3: Begin Folding the Puff Pastry. Add your cooled spinach mixture onto the seasoned salmon filets (Image 9). Set the salmon in the middle of a puff pastry sheet (Image 10).
Begin folding over the top side of the pastry and brushing with some egg wash. Repeat with the bottom side. (Images 11 & 12).
Step 4: Seal, Score, and Bake. Fold in the right and left sides, being sure to seal with egg wash (Images 13 & 14).
Using a knife, score the puff pastry for ventilation - and to make it look nice! (Image 15). Finally, brush the top of the pastries with the remaining egg wash, add them to a hot baking sheet, and bake until golden brown. (Image 16).
Recipe Pro Tips
- Careful with the rolling pin! Don't roll your puff pastry out too thin, or it will fall apart when it's time to wrap the salmon filets. You only want to increase the size by a couple square inches.
- Preheat your pan in the oven. Get your baking pan nice and hot before adding the raw Salmon Wellingtons on top. This ensures a nice, crisp bottom layer of puff pastry.
- Seal thoroughly. The egg wash not only makes for a gorgeous, golden-brown top, but it also acts as an edible glue to seal each fold together. Make sure as you fold the puff pastry over the salmon, you seal each fold completely.
- Use a sharp knife for scoring. You want to actually cut the puff pastry, not just make indents in the top.
- And whatever you do.. don't cook the salmon ahead of time. Unlike Beef Wellington, where you sear the outside of the meat before wrapping, salmon is much more delicate and only needs to be cooked once. Your fish will cook completely in the puff pastry - no need to brown it before baking.
Recipe FAQs
You certainly can! I love the frozen kind just for convenience, but if you have an amazing puff pastry dough recipe – feel free to use that.
Nope - add your raw (but seasoned) salmon to the puff pastry because it'll all cook together in the oven. You don't want your salmon to be dry and overcooked! Be sure to remove any skin from the salmon fillets before baking.
Dijon mustard is my secret ingredient; it helps keep the salmon moist and seals in those beautiful flavors. Don't skip this ingredient.
Yes - I put the instructions in the recipe notes below, but can explain here as well.
Follow all the instructions until it's time to add the egg wash and bake. Add the raw Wellington to a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container.
FYI: I don't recommend baking and then freezing Salmon Wellington!
Let the frozen, unbaked pastry sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then, brush your egg wash on top and bake per recipe instructions.
If you've baked and stored in the refrigerator, heat it up in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes or until warmed through for best results.
Other Dishes from my Puff Pastry Miniseries!
If you tried this Salmon Wellington Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Salmon Wellington (Puff Pastry Salmon)
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Rolling Pin
- Silicone Spatula
- Pastry Brush
- Chef's Knife
Ingredients
Sauteéd Spinach Mixture
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 count shallot minced
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 6 ounces frozen spinach or fresh!
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Salmon & Puff Pastry Ingredients
- 2 count boneless, skinless salmon filets 6 ounces each
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 box puff pastry dough (2 sheets)
- 1 count egg for an egg wash
Instructions
- Let the refrigerated puff pastry thaw on the counter until soft and pliable.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the butter and pour in the lemon juice.
- Sauté the minced shallot and minced garlic on medium heat until fragrant.
- Add in your frozen chopped spinach. No need to thaw!
- Pour in the cream cheese, shredded parmesan, dill, salt, and black pepper. Cook until everything is fully combined, stirring well. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Season your skinless salmon fillets on all sides with the salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a bit of water to create an egg wash.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add your baking pan to the oven to heat it as well.
If you want the spinach mixture on top:
- Assemble the spinach mixture on the top of the seasoned salmon fillets.
- Quickly flip one filet, spinach side down, onto one sheet of puff pastry.
- Fold the pastry over until it completely covers the salmon, using the egg wash as a "glue" to keep everything together.
- Flip the salmon wellington over, folds down, and score the top of the pastry with a knife. Repeat with the remaining salmon fillet and puff pastry sheet.
- Brush the top with egg wash and add to the hot baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
If you want the spinach mixture on the bottom:
- Add one seasoned salmon fillet onto one sheet of puff pastry.
- Top the salmon with the spinach mixture.
- Fold the pastry over until it completely covers the salmon, using the egg wash as a "glue" to keep everything together.
- Flip the salmon wellington over, folds down, and score the top of the pastry with a knife. Repeat with the remaining salmon fillet and puff pastry sheet.
- Brush the top with egg wash and add to the hot baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
Jen says
This is my first Shani recipe and it came out perfect. I LOVE the website and have looked through the recipes and it is my new favorite cooking website. Excellent instructions/steps with every recipe and they all seem to be very doable for a mediocre cook like me. Definitely sharing website with fam/friends as well. Thanks so much Shani!
Shani W. says
Aww thanks so much Jen! 🙂 I appreciate it!
Anonymous says
I am giving this a 3 due to the puff pastry, The salmon was great--easy and tasty. Next time I would use one sheet of puff pastry rolled thinner for 2 servings as a sheet apiece was too heavy,. Served with roasted asparagus--lovely meal which could be used for a dinner party with the above revision.
Shani W. says
Thank you for your review!
Katherine Respess says
It turned out great and it was the first time I had made it.
Nest time, I am going to remove the skin...my folks don't like skin but I thought it would be helpful with the scoring. I think if I assemble and refrigerate for a bit, it will be easy score withut the skin underneath the puff pastry...??
Shani W. says
That sounds good! Yes, you don't need the skin to get a good score since you're slicing the puff pastry. Thank you for commenting!
Leon says
Made it last night and it was delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Shani W. says
Thank you for trying and commenting, Leon!
Liz Dunster says
Made this for our dinner last night.
I used one large piece of salmon (it was half of a whole side - usually would have been enough for the 3 of us if cooked on the grill with a teeny bit left over for lunches)
I forgot the Dijon Mustard... (oops)
Recipe says cook for 20 minutes - mine needed 30 at 400F, probably because it was a large single piece of fish.
It was so delish, and so much easier to make than I thought it would be. Also seemed to go much further than if we had done the usual ( cooked the salmon on the grill), so everyone has this as their lunch at work today. Thank you for a delicious, easy to use recipe. Definitely will make this again.
Shani W. says
I love to hear that - our family is always hunting to use leftovers, especially with grocery prices these days! Thank you for your review Liz 🙂
Sandi says
Really easy the flavors melt together well. Had spinach mix left, added crab meat amd made crab ragoon
Shani W. says
Yum - I love the idea to make Rangoons with the extra filling! Thank you for commenting Sandi.
Jackie Antonoff says
Being celiac, I'm forced to use substitutes a lot. Shani's salmon wellington recipe actually "worked"! The only deviation was using Schar's gluten-free frozen puff pastry. This had to be sprinkled with warm water and rolled between two sheets of plastic wrap to keep the pastry dough together.
I also surrounded the entire salmon with the spinach mixture to further keep the dough moist and prevent it from separating, and then baked the wellington in a "snug" dish.
While mine didn't look as terrific as Shani's, it was one of the BEST gluten-free fish dishes ever! Thank you.
Shani W. says
Wow, Jackie - thank you so much for trying my recipe and leaving this beautiful comment! The Celiac community is some of the most creative chefs and home cooks I know; and your twist on this sounds fantastic! I hope you have a great day 🙂
Gail says
Tried a few other recipes. Served this to friends on Christmas. Beautiful, moist, tasty, wonderful. Made a day ahead (sans scoring, egg wash and baking). Phyllo dough wasn’t perfect (should have scored it before refrigerating) but it was easily overlooked. Will make again! May try the artichoke addition.
Shani W. says
Thank you for trying and commenting, Gail! Hope you and your loved ones had a Merry Christmas 🙂
Kelley says
I tackled this Salmon Wellington with a glorious 2-pound fillet and let me tell you—it was majestic. I simply tucked the puff pastry snugly under the edges (like wrapping a tasty little gift), and into the oven it went. With such a hefty piece of salmon, I gave it 35 minutes at 400°F, and what emerged was pure perfection. The salmon stayed tender and juicy, the puff pastry golden and crisp, and that luscious creamed spinach filling? Absolutely the star of the show. Easy, impressive, and downright delicious—this recipe’s a keeper!
Shani W. says
Kelley - first let me just say you have a beautiful way with words! I can almost taste this dish again after reading your review. Thank you so much for trying and leaving this lovely comment! 🙂
Wayne says
I loved the simplicity and elegance of this. I added chopped artichokes to the spinach and cheese mixture for a little twist. I thought it added a nice flavor.
Shani W. says
I love chopped artichokes, and that sounds like an amazing add! Thanks so much for trying and commenting, Wayne 🙂
Anonymous says
This combination ticks ALL the boxes! Delicious and really easy to make. I will be making this again.
Anonymous says
Did you ever sub in a chicken breast for the salmon? Would cooking time be the same?
Shani W. says
I haven't tried a chicken Wellington using this recipe! I wouldn't guestimate that the cooking times would be the same, however. With chicken, it's important to cook it thoroughly so I'd suggest a meat thermometer and a recipe for puff pastry-wrapped chicken just to be safe 🙂
Anonymous says
I hate spinach - what is a good alternative? Please don't say artichokes - hat those also.
Shani W. says
I haven't tried any subs in this recipe, but I think Swiss chard would be a good alternative. It has a similar mild flavor and texture that would work well. I love interchanging kale with spinach in lots of meals too; although some people are iffy on the taste of kale haha.
Anonymous says
Yes I made this for lunch tonight at work but I made the mistake and cooked the salmon 1st but it still came out great though think I'll use it raw next time
Shani W. says
Oh man! I'm glad you still enjoyed it, but yes - next time leave the salmon raw. It'll cook perfectly in the puff pastry and be nice and moist 🙂 Thank you for commenting!
Anonymous says
Can this be made ahead and reheated for a group of 12?
Shani W. says
I recommend assembling the wellingtons, do NOT brush with egg wash, and wrap with foil and freeze. Then when you're ready to serve, brush the pastries with egg wash and bake frozen, adding another 15-20 minutes to the cooking time.
Leah says
Loved this and husband said “this is a do-over”, a sign he really liked it.
Shani W. says
Haha I love to hear that! Thanks for commenting and trying, Leah 🙂
Sandy says
This is as delicious as the Salmon Wellington at Salish Lodge! Five-star taste and so easy. Thank you Shani for sharing your beautiful recipe with us!
Shani W. says
Thank you for trying and commenting Sandy! 🙂
Margaret says
Puffed pastry!
Do I use the whole box for this beautiful recipe?
Thanks
Looks delicious
Shani W. says
Yes, I used the entire box (which came with 2 rolls of dough) for two pieces of salmon! Thank you!
Bonnie Darling says
I’m not a big fan of mustard. Any other suggestions?
Shani W. says
I haven't tried it in this recipe, but maybe horseradish? In all honesty, you don't taste the mustard outright, so you could also just leave it out.
Anonymous says
Tried this recipe for the first time for friends. Presentation wowed them, flavor was unbelievable. I now have a 4 star restaurant in my kitchen for much less than it would cost to go out! Thank you
Shani W. says
This is what I absolutely love to hear! Thank you so much for trying 🙂
Peggy Daniel says
What is the ct in "1/2 ct. shallot" - does that mean 1/2 a shallot?
Shani W. says
That's correct, Peggy! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Anonymous says
For over 30 years I have craved the taste of salmon wellington. I have been to several places but it is not the same that I experienced in Colorado. So I have decided to make it myself and this recipe seems simple enough for me to tackle the project. I am giving it a shot and I know it will be great.
Shani W. says
Thank you so much!