Let Us Go To The House of the LORD

Salmon en croute is much easier to prepare than its elegant name suggests. It can be prepare hours ahead, making it great for entertaining at home.

This is not my first time making salmon en croute.  I have done one by Laura Calder, one which has layers of asparagus on the salmon. This recipe by Gordon Ramsay is easier and much faster to prepare,  about 10 mins of preparation, if you're using ready rolled pastry.

The dill and basil butter spread, and wholegrain mustard add lots of flavour to the salmon. You can also use puff pastry if you do not have ready short crust pastry. I prefer this salmon en croute to the previous one, one which I did not even bother to put up.  If the dish is not much to my liking, I would normally not blog about it. This is different, this is THE Gordon Ramsay's recipe. This is much simpler and more aromatic.
 I made one serve for two small eaters. This dish can also be sliced to smaller portions to serve as first course.

Salmon en croute
Gordon Ramsay
Serves 4
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes(30 mins)


Ingredients

1 side of salmon, about 900g, skinned
A little olive oil
60g unsalted butter, softened
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Generous handful of basil leaves
Small handful of dill leaves
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
500g shortcrust pastry, (ready rolled)
Plain flour, to dust
1 egg yolk, beaten


Method

• Check the salmon for pin bones, removing any that you find with tweezers, then cut in half. Line a baking tray with a lightly oiled piece of foil.
• mixed the softened butter with the lemon zest, basil, dill and some salt and pepper in a bowl, to make the filling.
• Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper, then season lightly with salt and pepper.boned side, and the mustard evenly  on the other fillet. Sandwich the two salmon fillets together, in opposite directions so both ends are of an even thickness.
• Roll out  the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle the thickness of a £1 coin and large enough to enclose the salmon. ( I used a square ready rolled)
• Put the salmon parcel in the centre of the pastry and brush the surrounding pastry with egg. Bring up the edges, trimming off any excess, and tuck them in before folding the rest of the pastry over to form a neat parcel.
• Carefully turn the whole thing over so that the seam is underneath and place on the prepared baking tray.
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Lightly score a herringbone or cross-hatch pattern using the back of a knife. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover loosely and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C. 
• Bake the salmon for 20-25 minutes,until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. To test if ready, insert a skewer into the middle. It should feel warm for medium cooked salmon. A piping hot skewer indicates that the fish is done.
• Rest the salmon for 5 minutes, then cut into portions using a serrated knife. Serve with Hollandaise sauce,new potatoes and broccoli or minted peas. (no sauce, served with plum and arugula salad)

This post is linked to Cook Like A Star 'Gordon Ramsay' hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids,
Mich of Piece of Cake and Yen off Eat Your Heart Out.

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20
The church is not a building. It is the people who gather together as one body, in Jesus Christ. We go to church because we love Jesus and choose to follow Him. We go to worship Him in heart,songs and praises. We listen to the message that God has directed His servant to deliver.


I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." Psalm 122