Salmon Wellington with Puff Pastry

Salmon Wellington, also known as salmon en croute, is a show stopping centerpiece! This recipe involves a beautiful piece of salmon wrapped in flaky puff pastry with a delicious, creamy spinach filling. Pop it in the oven, and you’ve got a winning dish for any special occasion.

Four slices of salmon wellington on a baking sheet. The middle piece is turned to face the camera.

Everyone needs a couple of “wow” dishes that you can make for special occasions, mine include stuffed whole-roasted chicken, my rigatoni bolognese and of course, this salmon wrapped in puff pastry.

The key with these recipes is that you should feel confident making them, and you want to have two to three that can work for a variety of situations!

Jump to:

📋 Ingredients you’ll need
🔪 Step by step instructions
✏️ Substitutions
📖 Variations
💭 Cooking tips
❓FAQ
Related recipes
Serve this with

📋 Ingredients you’ll need

The ingredients for this recipe are easy to find.

Ingredients for recipe on a wooden board.

The star of the show is the salmon fillet. Choose a large salmon fillet that has uniform thickness to help it cook evenly. If you’re going to splurge on high-quality salmon, this is the time to do it. You’ll want the salmon fillet to fit the size of your puff pastry so you may need to cut it to size.
The savory spinach filling is made by sauteeing fresh baby spinach, shallots and garlic and combining it with dill, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. This combination adds a rich, cheesy flavor.
Frozen puff pastry is so flaky and delicious! It’s the perfect envelop for the salmon.
The egg is used for the egg wash, which is what gives the pastry its beautiful golden hue.

This recipe uses ingredients that are also used in classic Florentine-style recipes, like a quiche florentine.

Closeup of four pieces of salmon wellington, with dill sprinkled overtop.

🔪 Step by step instructions

It might seem intimidating, but these step-by-step instructions will walk you through the process–it’s a lot easier than you think!

Melted butter in a frying pan with shallot and garlic.

Preheat your oven to 425F. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes until it begins to soften.

Add the spinach and freshly ground pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Cooked spinach in a sieve over a glass bowl, with a blue spatula pressing down on the spinach mixture, releasing the liquid.

Transfer the spinach mixture into a sieve, using the back of a spatula, push and stir the mixture to draw out excess liquid. I do this about 6-8 times or until barely any liquid comes out. Allow to cool slightly.

A glass bowl with cooked spinach mixture with cream cheese and parmesan cheese.

In a bowl, combine the cooled spinach mixture with cream cheese, dill and grated Parmesan cheese.

Spinach filling in a glass bowl being mixed with a red spatula.

Stir to mix evenly.

Puff pastry on parchment paper on a baking sheet, a piece of salmon is placed in the center of the puff pastry.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add one piece of puff pastry to the parchment. Pat the salmon fillet dry with paper towels. Place the piece of salmon in the center of the puff pastry. Ensure there is enough of a border to seal the edges. Season the salmon fillet with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.

A pile of spinach filling on the center of the peice of salmon with a spatula spreading it around.

Spoon the spinach mixture evenly over the top of the salmon.

Salmon with spinach filling partially covered with a piece of puff pastry.

Carefully place the second piece of puff pastry over the salmon, sealing the edges tightly with a fork.

A knife cutting slits into the top of the puff pastry shell.

Using a sharp knife, score the top of the puff pastry lightly to create a decorative pattern.

Egg being brushed overtop of puff pastry with a silicone brush.

Brush the beaten egg over the top and sides of the puff pastry to create a golden crust when baked. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crispy.

Baked salmon en croute on a baking sheet before being sliced.

✏️ Substitutions

There are a few simple substitutions you can make for this recipe.

Spinach – If you don’t have spinach on hand, use kale or swiss chard in place. These greens are tougher than spinach, so will require a longer cook time before mixing with the cream cheese.
Dill – if you’re not a fan of dill or don’t have any on hand, you could also use parsley.

📖 Variations

This is a classic for a reason, so there aren’t too many variations you’ll want to try.

Spicy: Add red pepper flakes to the spinach mixture, to add a bit of spice to the finished dish.
Pesto: Add a couple tablespoons of pesto to the cream cheese mixture.

Closeup on the top half of four pieces of salmon wellington on a baking sheet with dill and lemon.

💭 Cooking tips

Use a piece of salmon with even thickness: When selecting a salmon fillet, aim for one with uniform thickness throughout. This ensures even cooking.
Avoid soggy pastry: To prevent the puff pastry from becoming soggy, you’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible from all of the ingredients. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, and press as much liquid out of the spinach filling as possible. You’ll also want to allow the spinach to cool slightly before mixing into the cream cheese.

❓FAQ

Can I prepare Salmon Wellington ahead of time?

You can prepare components of the wellington ahead of time, but this is a recipe that you’ll want to serve fresh. You can prepare the spinach filling in advance.

How do I prevent the puff pastry from getting soggy?

Remove as much excess moisture from the ingredients as possible. You’ll want to pat the salmon fillet dry, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the cooked spinach.

Looking for other salmon recipes? Try these.

Serve this with

Here are some of my favorite side dishes to serve with this puff pastry salmon.