Salmon En Croûte With Asparagus & Beurre Blanc
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
For the salmon en croûte:
40g watercress, chopped
200g cream cheese
2 tbsp chopped dill
1 lemon, zest and juice
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dusting
2 packs (320g each) ready-rolled puff pastry
500g salmon fillet joint, cut into 4 pieces
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
For the Beurre blanc:
60ml white wine
60ml white wine vinegar
2 small shallots, finely chopped
80ml double cream
220g butter, chilled and diced into 1cm pieces
To serve:
16 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Mix the watercress, cream cheese, dill, lemon zest and juice and some seasoning in a bowl.
Dust a work surface with flour and unroll one of the pastry sheets. Cut in half across the longer side. Spread ¼ of the cream cheese mixture on the centre third of one of the pastry rectangles, leaving the rest of the pastry clear so you can fold it over to form a parcel, plus a 2cm border to seal. Top the cream cheese with a salmon fillet. Wet the border with a little water and fold over the pastry to form a parcel. Trim the edges, then seal by either crimping together or using a fork. Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pastry. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and use a teaspoon to create a scale effect in the pastry. Brush with the egg and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.`
To make the Beurre blanc, put the wine, vinegar and shallots into a saucepan. Simmer over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain the wine and vinegar, discarding the shallots. Return to the heat, add the cream and simmer for 1 more minute. Season with sea salt and white pepper. Reduce the heat to low, so that the liquid is barely simmering. Add the butter a cube or two at a time, whisking with a balloon whisk, until it’s all used up. Do not hurry this process or overheat, as this will cause the sauce to split.
Steam the asparagus until tender.
Serve each salmon en croûte parcel with asparagus, a drizzle of Beurre blanc and a wedge of lemon.
