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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Usha says
Could I prepare this in advance and bake it later.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Usha, you can make the spinach filling ahead of time. But I don’t recommend making the puff pastry too far in advance since you can run the risk of the fish and filling to make the pastry soggy.
Tina says
Really nice
Just about had the right ingredients
We only had frozen spinage so I put it in the pan with the 1st lot of ingredients so it would have time to defrost and it worked fine. Thanks for this recipe really easy to do and very tasty.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Tina! Really happy to hear that you were able to make this salmon wellington work with the ingredients that you had 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and that you took the time to write this very nice review! 🙂
Laurie Hogan says
Making this tonight and I have never worked with puff pastry…Nervous but excited
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Laurie, you will love this recipe! If you have any questions about it don’t hesitate to ask 🙂
Kathie says
I was wondering what kind of salmon filets are best?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kathie, any salmon fillets would work for this recipe. If there is a specific salmon that you prefer to eat then you can just use that for this recipe. I personally prefer wild-caught but it tends to be a little more expensive.
Barb M says
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner with rice and garlic bread on the side. The filling didn’t come out the way the picture looked, but the flavors were still there. Very yummy!
5 Stars!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Barb, I’m so happy that you loved my salmon wellington recipe! Thank you for leaving such a kind review 🙂
Melanie says
This looks great! Do you wrap the salmon with the skin on or leave it out?
Thanks,
Melanie
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you, Melanie! I used salmon without the skin.
Benjamin Hughes says
Hey there so I assumed that when you wanted to substitute those they were due to dietary constraints so I’d say the best substitutes are almond milk cheese and pomegranate juice with a table spoon of white wine vinegar added 👌 hope this helps
Deborah says
Hello,
How would I adjust the cooking time and any other steps if using one large salmon filet?
Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Deborah, it is hard for me to answer that question. I have never tried making this recipe with a large salmon filet. It really depends on the thickness of your filet. The best thing to do is to keep the temperature the same and use a meat thermometer to make sure the center of the filet is at least 145 degrees F. I hope this helps and I really hope you enjoy this Salmon Wellington recipe!
S says
This looks so yummy! What would you substitute the white wine and parmesan for please?
Looking forward to trying this out! x
simplyhomecooked says
Hi S, unfortunately, those are difficult ingredients to substitute. If you change those ingredients with something else it will change the taste of the salmon wellington. You can try to change the white wine for chicken broth and the parmesan for a little extra cream cheese. Like I mentioned the taste will be a little different. But recipes get adjusted/changed all the time 🙂 I hope you enjoy the salmon wellington!
Tommi says
Hey y’all! First and foremost a delicious recipe with my adjustments… DO NOT SPREAD THE EGG WASH ON THE BOTTOM ON THE DOUGH (pan side). It cooked and browned too fast. No parchment paper, aluminum foil sprayed with butter Pam (generic). I made about 15 pieces of salmon… Frozen store brought. I used 16oz frozen spinach that I thawed and squeezed out. I used chicken broth instead of wine, the entire cream cheese pack and a bit more shredded parmesan, Vidalia onions instead of shallots, dry minced garlic and onions, a little more bread crumbs, and seasoned with dry chicken broth seasoning. I didn’t use any plain salt in the mixture or on the salmon. I sprinkled LIGHTLY both sides with Lawry’s garlic salt. Key is definitely make the spinach stuffing a couple of hours before cooking. I also allowed my salmon to sit in the sink (20-30m from frozen to thawed) with oneside seasoned (meaty side) to allow drainage. If it is a little doughy cook on broil to crisp the top, turn down oven to 300-350 open oven to vent, then let cook a few more minutes. I had to tamper a lot of these directions due to temperatures and meal size. Nonetheless, it was crisp, seasoned well, and you could taste all the flavors of the meal. VERY proud of me 💜
Tommi says
Served with mashed potatoes and fresh kale greens.
gayle rice says
I made this also…. Didn’t have spinach, but used beet greens instead….Did not have puffed pastry only pie crust…soooo….used that…………DELICIOUS…..Thxoxox so much….will use this again….Was also thinking salad shrimp would be great in the “dressing”….or crab……xo
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the kind feedback Gayle. I loved all of your substitution ideas for this salmon wellington.
Silvia says
This is an awesome recipe, I didn’t have parm so I used gouda cheese instead, still fabulous. It was first time for me to prepare wellington salmon, but it will be often on our menu in the future. My 6 years old son loved it, as well. Thank you for sharing this gem <3 And I baked it for 19-20 minutes, the fish was delicious and juicy, for me it is just about enough. Regards from Switzerland,
Silvia
simplyhomecooked says
Silvia, I am so happy to hear that you and your son enjoyed the salmon wellington! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback!
Julie Matthews says
This salmon wellington recipe is fabulous. I could eat it every week! Didn’t like salmon before and I live in salmon country here in Oregon. Now my fishing sons can bring on the salmon. I have the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
That’s so awesome Julie! I myself am not a fish fanatic, but this dish just hits the spot. Thank you for leaving such kind feedback on my salmon wellington recipe! 🙂
Lauren says
It’s 2018, this recipe holds up:
I did 400F for 25 min exactly and it was perfectly golden crispy brown with no soggy bottom. Salmon was slightly overcooked but it’s one of those meats for me that I never seem to care if it’s over or undercooked, it’s still delicious to me. I wish I made the greens more in advance, but no soggy bottom so can’t complain. My substitution was using frozen arugula I had, didn’t have enough cream cheese so I added goat cheese and a tiny bit of feta (all I had left). Didn’t have parm, and everything else kept the same. Didn’t use parchment since I find it doesn’t do very well above 350F, but I lightly oiled the baking dish I had and did not have a problem with sticking.
Absolutely delicious salmon wellington, I ate twice as much as I intended, going to have to run a few miles longer tomorrow morning!
simplyhomecooked says
Lauren, Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind review. I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed the salmon Wellington 🙂
Sally Durrett says
Wow……I feel like finding this recipe has been an answer to my prayers!!! I am hosting a Christmas dinner for my book club. We are now up to 24 members and I’ve been searching for weeks for an entree. This sounds amazing. I have two questions, though…..when you say you have served it with a pasta, what kind? Plain? Also, I have one woman that doesn’t eat salmon; have you ever done this with chicken? I would think it would need to cook longer, don’t you think? Thank you for your help!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Sally, I’m so glad you stumbled upon my recipe and blog! 🙂 I usually serve this with either mashed potatoes or fettuccine alfredo. I’ve never tried this salmon wellington with chicken but you can definitely make this with chicken. But it will need to cook longer. If you have a meat thermometer, make sure the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s truly the best way to know if the meat is fully cooked. I hope that helps Sally. Hoping your book club Christmas dinner is a success! 🙂
EJ Delatte says
Great Recipe, the instructions with pics were very helpful. Adjusted the amount of garlic to one clove instead of two. Because of all the comments on cooking time due to lack of golden brown results, my wife and I cooked the loafs for 35 minutes. For me, the salmon was slightly overcooked as a result of the additional 5 minutes but for my wife, it was perfect. We checked the color of the pastry top at 30 minutes and it was already a beautiful golden brown. My wife wanted more cook time to ensure that the fish was done. We are going to freeze the remaining two loafs. I will provide feedback later on how they faired from freezing and reheating. In the future, we will probably add a little more cream cheese, green onion and seasoning to this recipe. We may also try this recipe with wahoo, red snapper and grouper.
I feel that the following may benefit some viewers on prepping the salmon. Judging from the pics, the width of each filet appears to be about 2.5 to 2.75 inches and about five inches long. I purchased a skinless 3 lb. filet. I then trimmed the belly so that the individual length of each filet was approximately 5 inches. I weighed them and they were about 5 and a half ounces each. In my opinion, the skin should be removed on the salmon filet. Also, there is a blood line which should be cut out. On salmon, the blood line is greyish looking color that runs the length of the filet (middle). There are lots of Utube videos on how-to properly filet fish which I highly recommend. You must use a sharp filet knife and be sure to keep the blade at a ultra slight angle as well as even across the fish between the back side of the skin and the meat. Be sure to lay the fish skin down on a cutting board and start the cut from the thick end. Once you have enough skin to hold, pinch and hold the skin firmly while slowly working the knife in the opposite direction to separate the skin from the filet.
Kudos for a great recipe!!! I will share this one with family & friends.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for all the great tips EJ! I’m so happy to hear that you and your wife enjoyed the salmon wellington recipe!
Sarah says
Made this tonight for my fiancée and it went down a treat! For someone that doesn’t cook very often it was simple to do and tasted amazing! Would definetly recommend!
👍🏻
simplyhomecooked says
Sarah I’m very happy to hear that you and your fiancee enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the great feedback 🙂
Siti says
Hi. I would like to try this recipe but i dont drink alcohol. Is there anything i can use to substitute the wine?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Siti, you can substitute it with chicken broth.
Jen K says
This was SO amazing! I was scared to try it, because I only have a toaster oven. But it worked perfectly. I posted it on Instragram and Facebook cause it looked so professional! My salmon pieces were pretty large, so I had to really STRETCH the dough, but it was still perfect.
Will for sure make again.Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! Jen I’m so glad you made the salmon wellington recipe! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Pam says
Why do the ingredients list “2 garlic cloves, divided?” I don’t see in the instructions where they are divided?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Pam, thanks for catching that. I fixed the mistake. Its supposed to say “minced”.
Kylee says
Great recipe! After reading some of the reviews about soggy bottoms I used frozen spinach that I thawed in the microwave and rung dry in a towel. It was perfect, only golden brown tops and bottoms here!
simplyhomecooked says
Thanks for sharing your recipe review Kylee 🙂 Glad the salmon wellington turned out well!