Salmon en Croute, Beurre Blanc.
This isn’t anything new to those who are familiar with French cuisine. It’s basically a salmon fillet wrapped in a puff pastry and baked. The rest is up for debate, but the end result is luxury as long as you don’t screw it up – which I can assure you is easier than you may think.
I started making this thing when I wanted to make a Beef Wellington for someone who didn’t eat beef. Some people call this the salmon wellington, but I’d argue against that for a variety of reasons. This really is (and should be) it’s own dish. It’s like chicken bacon; it’s not fucking bacon. Just call it what it is, and let it be what it’s going to be. Stop trying to make something into something it’s not.
Anyways, I digress – here’s how to make this monstrosity.
Salmon En Coute w/Beurre Blanc
Ingredients
- 1 pack Cream Cheese
- 1 Salmon Fillet (thick, skinned)
- 2 heads spinach
- 1 red onion
- 2 shallots
- 1/2 brick butter
- 1 lemon
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 2 rolls puff pastry
- 5 whole potatoes
- 250 ml 35% cream
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 30 ml dijon mustard
- 1 bunch fresh dill
Instructions
Roasted Potatoes
- Cube up a few potatoes, and boil in salted water until able to pierce with a fork with some resistance.
- Drain water, shake in the pot to form a bit of a soft mushy outer surface. Toss into a bowl, coat with olive oil, salt, and cracked black pepper.
- Heat some duck fat in a skillet and toss the potatoes in. Let them brown on each side, creating a crispy crust, while also maintaining a fluffy center. Add more duck fat for more crisp as needed. Cook on high. Cast iron is super helpful here!
- If they finish before the rest, keep them off to the side and reheat with a knob of duck fat on high.
Salmon En Croute
- Leave your frozen puff pastry on the counter to thaw until cold, yet still rollable. Keep it cold! Just not frozen!!!
- Dry off your salmon fillet, ensure no bones remain, and rub with a dijon mustard, coat with olive oil, and rub in. Set aside.
- Blend a brick of softened cream cheese, a good handful of fresh chopped basil & fresh chopped dill in a bowl. Set aside.
- Sautee 1/2 a red onionin a knob of butter, and as the onion becomes translucent, add a few cloves of crushed fresh garlic, and 2 heads of spinach. Sautee on medium until everything is moderately cooked and spinach is fully wilted. Set aside.
- Roll out the puff pastry, add on a layer of your spinach, garlic & red onion mix. Make it just a tad smaller than the footprint of your salmon fillet.
- Put your mustard rubbed salmon fillet on top of the mixture, then add a healthy layer of the cream cheese mixture.
- Egg wash the exposed edges of your puff pastry, fold it over your beautiful little concoction, punch the seams closed, and brush the entire thing with egg wash.
- Feel free to use some additional puff pastry to make a lattice cover, or something fancy as you see fit. Egg wash again.
- Put this thing on a greased cookie sheet, and into an oven pre-heated to 425 for about 25 mins or until the outer crush is a nice brown.
- Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes, and cut with a bread knife.
Beurre Blanc
- Finely chop 2 shallots, toss into a sauce pan with a squirt of olive oil, and sautee until they begin to clarify. Add a splash of dry white wine, and reduce on medium until a bit sticky.
- Add a small splash of heavy cream and incorporate with a whisk.
- Begin adding small knobs of cold butter, and incorporate with a whisk. Do not add more butter until the previous one has fully emulsified.
- Continue adding small cubes of butter bit by bit until you have about a 1/3 cup of butter in there. If it begins to boil, remove from heat and add a small splash of cream. Leave on a VERY low heat and stir at least once a minute until about ready to serve.
- If sauce begins to get too thick, add a bit of heat and a small splash of cream and emulsify with a whisk. Keep it on a very low heat, and continue to whisk to keep consistency.
Once you’ve removed this beast from the oven, let it rest for a good 5-10 minutes and cut into it with a bread knife. You should have a crispy crust, yet a very soft and moist center. Cut into 2″ sections and set down on one side onto the plate. Add some roasted potatoes, and drizzle on some sauce for the potatoes. Add some chopped parsley & lemon zest over the potatoes, with a small dish to add additional beurre blanc on the side.
Obligatory “Work” Picture
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