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
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.
- Add the spinach, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Lastly, add the spinach, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Sauté just until the the spinach softens.
- 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.
- 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.
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
Salmon Wellington and Salmon en Croute are the same except the en croute is topped with pate. There is no topping with a wellington.
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.
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!
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
Salmon Wellington
Ingredients
- 4 7 oz salmon fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- 2 tbsp plain bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 1 lb. package puff pastry
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- In a pan, heat butter, chopped shallots, and garlic over medium heat. Sauté until the shallots become translucent.
- Bring the heat to high and add the white wine. Let the liquid cook out for about 5 minute, then add the cream cheese and sauté for 1 minute.
- Lastly, add the spinach, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Sauté just until the the spinach softens.
- Unfold the puff pastry onto a light floured surface and roll out the 2 sheets, then cut them in half. So you end up with 4 pieces. I made each piece about 10X 14 inches.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste. Place each seasoned salmon fillet in the middle of each puff pastry sheet. Depending on the size of the fillet, you may need to roll out the puff pastry a little more or less. Leave about 2 inches around the edges.
- 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 (1 egg + 1 tsp water).
- Begin folding the the puff pastry over starting with the longer side. When folding over the short edges, brush more of the egg wash before folding.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the salmon wellington seam side down.
- Make crosshatch slits on top of the Wellington with a knife. Then brush with more egg wash.
- Bake at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Nutrition
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Linda Ortega says
I made this yesterday for dinner. Simply delish!!! The only thing I did different is I added lemon zest to the salmon!!
simplyhomecooked says
Yum! I’m glad you enjoyed it Linda 🙂
shana says
Hey, any ideas how to make this non-dairy? Sounds amazing!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Shana, I can’t think of a non-dairy substitute for cream cheese. Maybe try omitting it completely.
Anthony Cherry says
Try a non-dairy cream of mushroom soup (https://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Mushroom-Vivians-Live-Again/dp/B0169ET3ZS/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522423253&sr=8-3&keywords=non+dairy+cream+of+mushroom+soup). Just be careful with the sodium content. Too much salt could ruin this delicate dish.
jackie says
can I replace the salmon with other fish, and what would you suggest
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jackie, salmon would definitely be the preferred fish to use for this dish. But halibut might work too. I’ve never tried it with halibut though.
Kim Madlom says
Hi there…I’m going to make this tomorrow and put it in the freezer. I noticed a lot of people have asked if that works, so I’m about to find out. I am hosting a dinner party in two weeks and this will be the main attraction.
simplyhomecooked says
Hey Kim, I’ve personally never tried it. But I would love to know how it works out!
Lynette says
Hi Kim!
Did you try freezing and baking later?
Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
Hey Lynette, I’ve never tried that before.
Marc says
I’m not a cook but this was so easy to make I can’t wait to make it again for my dates.. she will love it
simplyhomecooked says
That’s awesome Marc! I think she will love it too 🙂
Helen lasafin says
This is amazing, I had served it with family and friends and they can’t believe I actually made it . I added shiitake mushrooms and used Boursin cheese instead of cream cheese. I even experimented with other fish and it still taste perfect. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
simplyhomecooked says
That’s awesome Helen! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice review!
Cheryl says
Brilliant ! Our new favourite salmon receipt, we can’t wait to try it with grouper ! Your step by step photos make it really easy too. Thank you !
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Cheryl, I’m glad the step by step photos helped!
Andrew says
Made this last night. Super easy and delicious!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Andrew!
Courtney says
This is my 3rd time preparing this salmon wellington, and each time was for a different crowd… they all LOVED it!! Its one of my favorites. I recommend this to any and everyone. So easy to make but it turns out beautifully perfect and delicious each time. Thank you simplyhomecooked!!
simplyhomecooked says
What a lovely compliment Courtney! Thank you so much! 🙂
Rachel says
This looks amazing! I would love to make it for Easter but am wondering if anyone has tried it with a whole fillet (enough for 5 people)? Would the cooking time remain the same or increase due to the size of the fish? Thank you in advance for any advice! 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Rachel! if you use a whole fillet, the cooking time will be about 10 minutes longer.
Stacy Harris says
My daughter gets tired of the same old salmon recipes. I made this tonight and it was a big hit! I kept the skin on because we love salmon skin and I baked it on a rack with the filling side up. Just delicious!!! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Stacy! I’m glad it was a hit for you 🙂
Steven portrude says
Teresa the salmon Wellington and Layered Almond Coffee Cake was perfect. My daughter Nicole and I cook together once a month by WhatsApp she lives in Cile and I live in New Jersey
We has a great time cooking and embellishing on your Salmon Wellington I added mushrooms and dried cranberries, Nicole added fresh mint
We both had a nice red wine from Chile
The cake works for me I used Hazelnut flour made a nice base cake. nicoles cake turn out ok but her filing fell flat she only has a blender and it did not work well for the cream. She ended up putting it in the freezer to keep it stiff
At the end of the day we had a great time spend 3 hours cooking and and hours eating together for a perfect dinner
Thank you for your web site
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the such a wonderful review!
Teresa Hixson says
I made the salmon Wellington tonight for the first time. It was delicious!!! I actually used 3 tsp of lemon juice instead of wine. All other ingredients were the same. I baked them using my NuWave elite oven. We are full time rv’ers,so I didn’t have a regular oven. I did the scoring and egg wash as you did and baked on the 3″ rack at 375 for 20 minutes, turning over after 10. My hubby really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
That’s amazing Teresa! So
happy you and your hubby enjoyed it 🙂
Archer says
Any tips for cooking this so that the salmon is still rare in the middle? Maybe cooking at a higher temp for less time, or maybe having the salmon be semi-frozen when placed in the oven?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Archer, if you want the fish rare, bake it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time.
joanna says
I make this recipe in a pie dish with canned salmon. Everything else the same. Too easy
simplyhomecooked says
I’m glad you found this recipe easy Joanna !
Carol says
Made this for Valentine’s Day dinner for my honey and it was absolutely delicious. It was so filling that we have two cooked pieces leftover. Can I freeze it?
simplyhomecooked says
Thanks Carol that’s so great to hear! I’m honestly not sure about freezing it after it’s been cooked. I’ve never tried it before.
Laurie Southard says
I made this a few weeks ago and we liked it so much that my husband asked for it again. I used the left over filling in a baked omelet and it was wonderful! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Yum! Great idea Laurie 🙂
Kimberly says
I think I will make this for dinner real soon
simplyhomecooked says
Kimberly, I think you’ll love it 🙂
Crissy says
Yum! Made this last night for dinner and it was amazing. The spinach mixture had so much flavor! I have only ever baked puff pastry at 400 degrees so I will do that next time because after 30 minutes, I still needed to broil a bit. I served this with asparagus and tabouleh. I will definitely make this again.
simplyhomecooked says
Yum! Thank you for leaving feedback Crissy 🙂
Melissa says
very excited to make this for dinner later this week. Looks amazing. So you have any recommended sides you’d pair with this dish?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Melissa, looking forward to hear how it turns out. I usually serve this with a salad or some toasted veggies. You can even serve mashed potatoes on the side as well.