Cheesy Salmon en Crôute

A long time ago in a country far far away…

Wait a second, this isn’t Star Wars…yet to be honest, my history with salmon en crôute starts just like my favorite movie. Many years ago I lived in Paris France, which is an absolutely beautiful city filled with a vibrant culture, upscale fashion, and insanely delicious food. On one of the first days I was in town, a professor took all of the new students on a brief tour of Paris so that we could feel like locals. We passed bakery after bakery next to cheese shops, markets, and adorable cafes. All these delicious smells and sights made my mouth water, so during one of our breaks, I ducked into a local grocery store (yes grocery store) and ordered a random salmon pastry thing-a-ma-jig. I took a bite into its buttery crust and discovered an amazingly flaky, cheesy, moist, delicious packet of goodness and knew that I would be making it in my tiny new Parisian kitchen.

Wellllllll I didn’t end up recreating that recipe until I moved back to the U.S.. At first I made it to remind me of days when I wandered the streets of Paris without a clear destination in mind, but it has since evolved into a simple, yet impressive recipe to whip up for dinner parties or a special occasion. I mean, who doesn’t love a no-fail flaky pastry wrapped salmon? It’s moist, slightly garlicky, a little crunch from sliced onions, and overall just delicious. Salmon en crôute is a comforting grown up hot pocket. ‘Nuff said!

I’ve made this recipe a few different ways – with homemade pastry crust, phyllo dough, frozen pie crust, puffed pastry, and like the version shown in the pictures, with a packet of crescent rolls. Feel free to use ANY of the above as long as you adjust the temperature of the oven accordingly. For example – puffed pastry will require a hotter oven (around 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit). My favorites are puffed pastry and the crescent rolls, but no matter which crust you chose, you’re going to get an absolutely delicious salmon dish. Enjoy!

**Occasionally I also add thinly sliced red bell peppers…you can never have enough veggies!**

4 salmon filets (skins removed)

1 pack of large crescent rolls

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped baby spinach (fresh)

1/2 medium red onion (sliced thinly)

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (minced)

Salt/pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Salt/pepper all of the salmon filets

Take 2 crescent rolls and form a rectangle. Pinch the center to seal the two rolls together. Using a rolling pin, roll out so it gets a little bigger.

On the rectangle of dough, place 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup spinach, a few slices of onion, and 1/4 of the garlic. On top of all those ingredients, place the skinless salmon filet. Wrap the pastry around it like a package (if using puffed pastry, you will need to use an egg wash to seal the crust around the fish AND cut a steam vent into the top of the “package” so it won’t get soggy. Also brush the top of the pastry with egg wash so it can become golden brown in the oven).

Repeat for the other salmon filets.

Put on a baking sheet and place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked.

Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!