John Torode's salmon showstopper
If you’re on the lookout for something a little different to wow your guests this Christmas, John Torode’s got the perfect thing for you today.
He’s cooking his delicious salmon en croûte, which is the perfect centrepiece to any festive spread.
INGREDIENTS:
To prepare the salmon:
2 x 450g pieces of salmon, skinned
40g Salt
40g brown sugar
4 peppercorns, crushed
200g Spinach, cooked (well drained and chopped)
100g Watercress, chopped
1 small bunch of dill, chopped
100g Cream cheese
50g Crème Fraiche
500g puff pastry (divide into 2 lots and roll out)
1 egg, beaten to glaze
METHOD:
Prepare the salmon the day before: Lay the salmon out on a tray, mix together the salt, sugar and pepper and cover the fish well. Wrap in cling film and leave over night to cure..
The next day: rinse all the salt and sugar off the salmon and dry really well with kichen paper. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6.
Mix the spinach, watercress, dill, cream cheese and crème Fraiche in a bowl. Season with a little pepper (you can add a little lemon rind if you fancy).
Roll out the pastry in two lots so it is a little bigger than the salmon fillet, one will be the bottom and one will be the top.
Place the bottom one on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Lay one of the salmon fillets on the pastry skin side down, now cover the salmon fillet with the herb and cream mixture. Place the other fillet on top so it sits with the skinned side up (the flat side sitting up) and pack the salmon with the filling so it is now all even.
Glaze the edges of the pastry and place the pastry over and mould it to fit and seal the edges well. Cut with a pretty roller if possible, if not use a fork to seal the edges well.
Glaze the whole thing well and make some patterns on the top so it looks like scales.
Cool in the fridge until ready to bake, always good to let it chill for at least an hour, so the pastry sets.
Bake at 200C for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 160C and bake for a further 15 minutes.
Rest a little and serve with herb mayonnaise, minted pea puree and wedges of lemon.