tashas New Year’s Eve menu: Salmon Wellington

Known in France as “salmon en croûte”, salmon Wellington is lighter and more elegant than its big brother, beef Wellington. A fillet of fresh salmon is spread generously with herbed cream cheese, wrapped in layers of flaky filo pastry and then baked in a very hot oven until golden and succulent.

 

INGREDIENTS

fennel & herb cream cheese

200 g fennel bulb, thinly sliced

50 g butter

juice of 2 lemons

40 g coriander leaves

40 g chives

30 g dill

30 g fennel leaves

500 g cream cheese

salt & black pepper

filo-wrapped salmon

4 filo sheets

250 g butter, melted

800 g–1 kg salmon fillet

fennel & herb cream cheese

to serve

lemon wedges

fresh green salad or potato salad

 

METHOD

fennel & herb cream cheese

1. Sauté the fennel in half the butter and set aside to cool. In a pan, bring the lemon juice to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rest of the butter. Set the lemon butter aside to cool. Blend or chop all the herbs very finely and mix them into the cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Once the fennel and lemon butters have cooled, mix them into the cream cheese mixture.

filo-wrapped salmon

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C. Gently separate the filo sheets one by one. Brush the first sheet with melted butter and spread half of the cream cheese mixture on the pastry, exactly the size of the salmon fillet. Place the salmon on top of the cream cheese and spread the remainder of the cream cheese on top to cover the salmon completely. Wrap the salmon in the first layer of pastry, folding the 2 sides on the left and right in and then the two sides on the top and bottom.

2. Brush the second filo sheet with butter. Turn the salmon around onto the second pastry sheet, fold side down, and fold the second sheet around the salmon until completely enclosed. Continue with this until the salmon is wrapped in 4 layers of filo.

3. Brush the outside with butter, place on a non-stick baking tray and bake for 5 minutes at 240°C, then turn down the heat to 200°C and bake for 10–15 minutes, depending on how well done you would like the salmon to be.

4. Once golden brown and crispy, remove the parcel from the oven and serve on a platter, with lemon wedges and a fresh green salad, or potato salad as an accompaniment.

serves 4

Posted with permission from: tashas Inspired: A celebration of food and art

For more information, go to www.tashascafe.com