A cooking triumph

 

salmon en croute

Since I recently confessed to one or more cooking failures, I want to share a triumph with you this week. It involves one of my favorite foods and a culinary technique that has intrigued but intimidated me for a while. Last weekend, I made salmon en croute. I’ve always wanted to try Beef Wellington, but I think that was more fascination with technique. I like salmon better than beef. For some time now I’ve collected recipes for salmon in a crust, ranging from complicated to the writer who said she just winged it and used common sense. I aimed for somewhere in the middle

I always have puff pastry sheets in the freezer, probably in the hope I’ll make spanakopita, so that was no problem. Next came a layer of sauteed mushrooms, with onion and garlic. Then the salmon: Colin and I recently split a case of canned line-caught, wild King salmon direct from Alaska. I’ve been buying tuna by the case from a small, independent fishing couple in Oregon for years. Their salmon supply dried up—if I understand it correctly, the situation is due to corporate control of fishing grounds and the fact that most salmon nowadays is farm raised.

One caution I’ve read too often from fishmongers is that farmed fish, salmon but more especially tilapia, can easily be contaminated. My tuna lady recommended a company called Alaska Gold. It’s expensive, but Colin and I thought it was worth it. So, after the long story, here’s the short version: I substituted canned salmon for the fresh filet the recipe called for. I don’t think it would be as good with commercial brands. The salmon I used is cooked once rather than the usual twice, with no additives or preservatives except salt.

Back to the salmon en croute: after the salmon came a layer of spinach. The recipe did not call for goat cheese, but I had some spreadable, and I spooned dollops on top of the spinach. Then came the top layer of pastry and an egg wash. It looked lovely and tasted wonderful. Here’s what I did.

For the mushroom layer:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic.

Sauté onion until translucent; add mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper and reserve in a small bowl.

For the spinach layer:

Sauté garlic quickly, being sure not to let it burn; Add spinach by handfuls, as it cooks down, and stir until all is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly:

2 sheets puff pastry

Salmon

Goat cheese

1 egg

           Coat a work surface with flour and lay out one sheet of pastry. Spread mushroom mixture over it, stopping ½ inch from the edges all the way around.

Center salmon on mushroom mixture. I halved the recipe and used one 7 oz. can salmon in chunks. These directions are for the full recipe, and you’d need two cans or one 14 oz filet (skinned) or two 7 oz. filets might actually work better. Evenly distribute spinach over the salmon and then top with dollops or slices of goat cheese. Place remaining sheet of pastry over and press to seal the edges.

Brush the top pastry with beaten egg and transfer the whole thing to a baking sheet. This is easier said than done. I’d advise two big spatulas and, if possible, an extra set of hands. Bake at 350^o until crust is golden brown. Let it cool slightly before cutting.

You can serve this with a dill sauce of lemon, mayonnaise, and a touch of mustard, but I thought it was just fine without the sauce. Should serve four nicely. Half the recipe served two generously with a slice left for lunch the next day. It is, however, not nearly as good the next day. The pastry gets a bit tough.