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 roasted red skin 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 1: 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 3: 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!
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 🙂