Salmon in Puff Pastry #BakingBloggers

This month, I am joining several other bloggers at Baking Bloggers to share a dish with this month's theme: British Baking!

My first thought was to try something amazing inspired by the Great British Bake Off, but as much as I enjoy watching the show, I do not make intricate desserts, nor do we eat dessert often enough to go through all that.

Instead, I looked into my Kindle, where I keep a ridiculous number of cookbooks, to see what I might have.  Sure enough, there was an old-fashioned little gem from the Hippocrene Cookbook Collection, entitled The English Country Kitchen, by Geraldine Duncann.

Among the recipes there was one I actually had all the ingredients for, so I decided to give it a try: Salmon in Puff Pastry from Northumberland.  This made for a nice not-too-heavy meal served alongside a salad, and meat wrapped in pastry is a British technique that goes back for centuries.

One note on this - the original recipe very cavalierly mentions removing the skin off the salmon fillets.  I did not find this to be an easy task, and some instruction on just how to go about that would have been good.  

I did not manage it gracefully, so it was a good thing the salmon was going to be hidden inside the puff pastry!

I did crisp up the skins in the microwave for our dog, so she won even if my salmon lost!

Additionally, I included the called for hard-cooked egg slices but honestly, I didn't find that they added much to the taste or texture when we ate them.  I wouldn't bother doing that again if I make this in the future.

Otherwise, I made a few modifications and this recipe is what I did. (sorry, I have no good advice on removing those skins!)

Salmon in Puff Pastry
Serves 2-4

4 Tblsp. English Mustard
1 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 tsp. dried dill
4 salmon fillets, skins removed, thawed
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed but still cold
2 boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix seasonings into mustard. Set aside.

Cut puff pastry into four rectangles, and roll slightly to make them large enough to encase the salmon fillets.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Set a fillet in the center of a rectangle. Spread with 1 Tablespoon of the mustard mixture. Set a couple egg slices on top, if using.

Fold the puff pasty over the salmon completely, pinching the edges where they meet  and at each end, sealing well. 

Set on the parchment paper, seam side down. Repeat with the other fillets.

Brush puff pastry top with the egg wash and make slits on top of the pastry.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and flaky.

Take a tour of these other Baking Bloggers sharing their British Baking dishes!

Bread & Butter Pudding by Sneha's Recipe

Chocolate Chip Scones by Jolene's Recipe Journal

Eccles Cakes by Caroline's Cooking

English Granary-Style Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories

Fat Rascals by Palatable Pastime

Jammie Dodgers by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mini Toad in the Hole by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Raspberry Bakewell Tarts by Pandemonium Noshery

Salmon in Puff Pastry by Reviews, Chews & How-Tos

Strawberry Almond Crumble by Food Lust People Love

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Shortbread Biscuits by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Traditional Scottish Shortbread with Rose by The Schizo Chef

Wizarding World Chocolate Trifle by Simple Inspired Meals