slices of salmon in put pastry, with rice, salmon, and pesto

I think it was on our third date that my future husband decided to invite me to his teeny apartment in Boston for a dinner date. I came over expecting a stereotypical bachelor’s meal (some sort of meat & potato dish with a beer on the side). He instead went all-out and cooked up a mushroom risotto for starters, and then this fabulous salmon & pesto baked in puff pastry, followed by chocolate-dipped strawberries. He was cooking to impress (and it worked!).

This is a variation on the dish he served me that night; one that his family had been making for years. A beautiful salmon filet is baked and then flaked into a rice, pesto, and mushroom mix. The whole thing is then rolled in puff pastry dough and baked until golden brown & flaky. This dish is hearty, but (moderately) healthy, and perfect hot or at room temperature. We like to serve this Salmon in Puff Pastry as either a light dinner, or as a main dish for brunch.

Salmon in Puff Pastry

makes 1 puff pastry ‘roll’

four slices of salmon encroute, garnished with basil, on a white platter

1 sheet puff pastry dough

3/4 pound salmon filet, deboned & trimmed

2 cups cooked white rice

10-12 ounces portabella mushrooms, washed & finely chopped

3 tablespoons prepared pesto

1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1 egg 1 tablespoon water salt & pepper to taste

food flatly including a filet of pink/orange salmon, green herbs, fresh mushrooms and a jar of rice

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Reserve. Take the salmon filet and place on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly salt & pepper the flesh side. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Place aside.

a salmon filet with dill, sitting on a wooden cutting. board

a cooked salmon filet, crusted with salt and pepper

While the fish is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated, add your washed and chopped mushrooms to the saucepan. Cook until slightly browned and reduced in size, about 7 minutes.

slicing whole mushrooms into thin slices

In a large bowl, combine the already cooked rice, mushrooms, and 3 tablespoons of prepared pesto. Flake the cooked salmon into the mix. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped dill and mix well. Salt & pepper to taste. Reserve.

flaking the salmon filet into a bowl of steamed rice

adding the mushrooms and dill to the salmon and rice mixture

Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Raise the oven temperature to 400F. Take a sheet of puff pastry and gently roll to fit the size of a standard baking sheet. Make sure the dough stays chilled. Transfer to the lined baking pan.

rolling out a sheet of puff pastry dough on a wooden board

Spoon in the salmon/mushroom/rice mixture down the center length of the rolled out dough. Gently fold in the sides and pinch the bottoms together to seal the filling in. If you like, carefully flip the log over, so the seam is on the pan. Fold the bottoms once more.

spooning the salmon in puff pastry filling onto the puff pastry sheet

Mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and using a brush, coat the pastry with the egg wash.

a sealed log of puff pastry, being feggwashed with a red silicon brush

a glossy salmon en croute, being placed into the oven on a baking sheet

Bake 15-17 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Enjoy hot or room temperature.

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