Salmon en Croute with Cranberries and Ginger

An impressive traditional salmon dish with cranberries and ginger that gives it a nice christmassy feel.

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet, skinned and boned (about 1 kg)
100g butter, softened
4 pieces of candied ginger
25g cranberries
½ tsp ground mace
700g good quality frozen puff pastry
1 egg beaten, to glaze
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions

Place the salmon fillet on a large wooden board. Using a sharp knife, cut it into two even pieces and trim the edges. The pieces should be the same size and shape.

Dice the pieces of candied ginger finely. Roughly chop the cranberries. In a bowl mix the ginger, cranberries, mace and softened butter.

Place a rectangle of puff pastry (approximately 18*30 cm) on a baking sheet. Place one of the pieces of the salmon in the centre.

Spread this piece of salmon evenly with the cranberry butter.

Put the second piece of salmon on the top of the first to produce a sort of sandwich effect. Then, brush a wide band of beaten egg around the salmon.

Lay a second rectangle of puff pastry on top of the salmon, taking care not to stretch it. Press the pastry tightly around the outside of the salmon, trying to ensure that you have not trapped too much air.

Then push the edges together with a fork. This will both decorate and ensure the pastry doesn’t separate.

You can also optionally decorate the top of the pastry with a fish scales effect by pressing an upturned spoon gently into the pastry.

Chill the Salmon for an hour before preheating your oven to 200 degrees.

Brush the puff pastry with egg wash and bake the Salmon en Croute for 45 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes. Take the Salmon en Croute to the table whole. Cut it into two to three centimetre slices to serve.

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 hour 20 min including chilling and resting