← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 2 skinless salmon fillets, about 400 g each, of similar size
• 200 g Cream cheese
• 75 g Watercress, finely chopped (or use baby spinach)
• 2 tbsp Dill, chopped
• 1 Lemon, zested, plus wedges to serve
• 500 g all-butter puff pastry block
• flour, for dusting
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F) and put a baking tray inside to heat. Pat the salmon dry and season it.
2. Mix the cream cheese, watercress, dill and lemon zest with a little salt and pepper.
3. On a floured surface, roll a third of the pastry into a rectangle a little larger than the salmon fillets and lay it on a sheet of baking paper. Place one fillet on it, spread with the cheese mixture, then top with the second fillet, thick end over thin end so you get an even block.
4. Roll the rest of the pastry into a larger rectangle. Brush the edges of the base with egg, drape the big sheet over the fish and press down all round to seal. Trim to a 2 cm border and crimp with a fork.
5. Brush all over with egg yolk and score a lattice or fish-scale pattern lightly on top. Chill for 10 min to firm up.
6. Slide the parcel on its paper onto the hot tray and bake for 35–40 min until deep golden. A probe in the thickest part should read about 55°C (130°F) for moist, just-cooked salmon.
7. Rest for 5 min, then slice thickly with a serrated knife and serve with lemon wedges, new potatoes and green beans.

Tips

• The hot baking tray helps crisp the pastry base so it does not turn soggy.
• It can be assembled up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge; add 5 minutes to the baking time.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Jamie Oliver