Salmon wellington
Salmon Wellington
A Lighter Version of a Christmas Favourite
Serves 4
Impress your friends and family this Christmas with this lighter version of the traditional Beef Wellington. The spinach and quinoa filling is a perfect complement to the delicate flavours of freshwater king salmon.
Best of all, you can prep this dish in advance. So all you need to do is to bake it when your guests arrive. Cheers to that!
Ingredients
Spinach and quinoa filling
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 rashers bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 300g baby spinach leaves
  • Handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Zest of 1 lemon, grated
  • 100mL crème fraîche
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning
Assembling the Salmon Wellington
Method
Making the spinach and quinoa filling (can be prepared in advance)
  1. Place quinoa in a saucepan with 1 cup cold water. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for another three minutes to ensure the quinoa is fluffy. Loosen cooked quinoa with a spoon.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and fry bacon over a medium heat until crispy. Set aside.
  3. In the same pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil and fry onion over a medium heat until softened and golden brown. Add garlic and fry for another minute or so. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Remove spinach mixture from pan, leaving as much liquid in the pan as possible.
  4. When the spinach mixture is cooled, add bacon, dill, lemon zest, crème fraîche, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
Assembling the Salmon Wellington (can be done in advance, except baking)
  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, lay two sheets of puff pastry side-by-side, overlapping slightly to form a rectangle.
  3. Starting from the thicker end of the salmon, cut in half horizontally (ie parallel to the kitchen bench) to form two thinner fillets. Trim the tail and sides of the fillets so they fit on the pastry, while leaving a 5cm border on all sides.
  4. Put one piece of salmon on top of the pastry. Spread the spinach filling over the fillet, and lay the second piece of salmon over the top.
  5. Place the remaining two sheets of puff pastry over the top so that it completely covers the salmon. Use a fork to seal the edges of the pastry, and brush with the egg.
  6. Place in the fridge to cool. When your guests arrive, just pop the pastry in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.