Salmon en croûte with spinach: a crisp pastry, never soggy
Salmon en croûte always makes an impression on the festive table: a beautiful golden piece sliced in front of the guests, tender salmon and a layer of spinach. The pitfall is soft pastry underneath. With well-squeezed spinach and the right heat from the base, it stays crisp. Here is the method.
- 6 people, 25 min preparation
- Spinach well squeezed out, salmon well dried
- 200 °C, fan oven and bottom heat
- Assemble it in the morning, bake in the evening
Appliance and settingInduction hob plate, then oven at 200 °C fan with bottom heat
Ingredients
A handsome centrepiece, with no soggy pastry
Salmon and spinach hold a lot of water. During cooking, this water seeps down into the pastry underneath and makes it soggy. The solution comes down to two words: dry the ingredients before building the crust, and bake from below on a very hot tray. Do this, and you get a golden, flaky crust, on top and underneath.
The steps
- Prepare the spinach. Melt the butter in a large frying pan on heat level 6 and sweat the chopped shallot for 2 minutes. Add the spinach by handfuls and let it wilt for 3 to 4 minutes. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool slightly, then squeeze very hard between your hands. Chop roughly.
- Make the green cream. Mix the spinach with the soft cheese, lemon zest, chopped dill, salt, pepper and nutmeg. The mixture should be thick, not runny.
- Dry the salmon. Remove any pin bones with tweezers. Pat it dry with kitchen paper on all sides, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Build the crust. Unroll one sheet of pastry onto a tray lined with baking paper. Place the salmon in the centre, leaving a 3 cm border all round. Spread the spinach cream over the salmon. Cover with the second sheet of pastry and seal the edges by pinching them. Trim the excess, leaving a 2 cm border.
- Decorate and rest. Brush with the beaten egg yolk mixed with the milk. Using the back of a knife, score scales or a criss-cross pattern, without piercing the pastry. Make two small steam vents. Put the tray in the fridge for 20 minutes: cold pastry rises better.
- Preheat with the tray. Preheat the oven to 200 °C in fan mode with bottom heat if your oven offers it, otherwise in fan mode, with a second empty tray on shelf 1.
- Bake. Slide the baking paper and salmon onto the hot tray, on shelf 1. Allow 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is well browned and the probe reads 50 to 52 °C in the centre of the salmon.
- Rest and slice. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife into 3 cm slices.
Appliance settings
| Step | Appliance and mode | Setting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | Induction hob, large frying pan | Setting 6 | 5 to 6 min |
| Cooking (ideal) | Oven, fan + bottom heat | 200 °C, tray preheated on shelf 1 | 30 to 35 min |
| Baking (alternative) | Oven, fan-assisted | 200 °C, tray preheated on shelf 1 | 30 to 35 min |
| Baking (alternative) | Oven, conventional heat | 210 °C, shelf 1 | 35 min |
| Check | Cooking probe | 50 to 52 °C in the centre of the salmon | Until the alarm |
If the top browns too quickly before the salmon is cooked, cover it with foil for the last few minutes.
Variations
- With leeks : replace the spinach with two thinly sliced leek whites, softened in butter for 15 minutes.
- With brown shrimps : add 100 g of brown shrimps to the green cream, a very popular Belgian touch.
- With smoked salmon : layer a few slices of smoked salmon between the fresh salmon and the spinach.
- As individual portions : 150 g fillets in individual parcels, 20 to 25 minutes' cooking.
Storage and advance preparation
For Christmas Eve, assemble the salmon en croûte in the morning and keep it in the fridge, covered with clingfilm, without glazing it. Glaze it with the egg yolk just before baking, and add 5 minutes' cooking. The spinach cream can be made the day before. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and reheat for 10 minutes at 170 °C so the pastry becomes crisp again. Avoid the microwave.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of breadcrumbs or ground almonds over the base pastry before laying the salmon on top: it soaks up the juices and keeps the pastry crisp. And if your oven offers steam, choose dry fan heat here instead: steam is for our steamed salmon.
Which appliance?
For crisp puff pastry, you need an oven that bakes well from the bottom and a precise baking tray for the filling.
An oven with conventional heating and bottom heat
Choose an oven that offers natural convection and bottom heat. Examples: Smeg SFP61TB3FR (Linea, pyrolytic, 10 modes, up to 280 °C), Beko BCBIM17604KSBMPS (pyrolytic, 3D pulsed heat, Wi-Fi), Whirlpool OMR55RR0B (natural convection, pizza mode, pyrolytic and hydrolysis cleaning).
From €629.99 to €759.99
Precise induction
Smeg SIB2641D: four zones, Bridge zone and nine power levels.
599,99 €
An induction and pyrolytic range cooker
Smeg C6IPBLT2, gloss black: four-zone induction hob with Bridge and 70-litre pyrolytic oven.
1 499,99 €
Public prices noted on 15 October 2026: the product page is definitive, and Nimesclub members often get a reduced price.
Ovens, hobs and cookers in store
SMEG SFP61TB3FR built-in oven€759.00
Built-in oven BEKO BCBIM17604KSBMPS€629.00
Built-in oven WHIRLPOOL OMR55RR0B€749.00
Cooker SMEG C6IPBLT2€1,499.00
Hob SMEG SIB2641D€599.00To complete the festive meal: some au gratin scallops as a starter, and our oven-baked Christmas menu to plan it all.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop the pastry going soggy underneath ?
Three things: squeeze the spinach really hard, pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper, and bake on a very hot tray, on the bottom shelf of the oven, with bottom heat if your oven offers it. A thin layer of breadcrumbs under the salmon also soaks up the juices.
How do you know if the salmon is cooked?
Using a probe or thermometer inserted into the centre: 50 to 52 °C for salmon that is pearly and tender, 55 °C for salmon that is more cooked. Without a thermometer, allow 30 to 35 minutes for a fillet 3 cm thick.
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Let them thaw in a colander, then squeeze them between your hands to remove as much water as possible before sautéing them.
The right oven makes all the difference
Steam ovens, pyrolytic ovens, induction hobs: come and see them at our Temploux store, or ask our expert salesperson for advice.
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