This Delia Smith salmon en croute recipe makes four small parcels, one for each person. Each parcel holds a piece of salmon on a bed of wilted greens, all wrapped in a thin, homemade flaky pastry. It bakes for 20 minutes at 220°C, so it feels like a dinner party dish without the long bake of a big salmon wellington.
The method comes from the Delia Online Cookery School page for Salmon en Croute. I read it line by line and found a few gaps. The pastry method is only in a video, the egg and dill are missing from the ingredient list, and there is no prep or total time. I’ve filled those in below and said clearly where a step is my own advice rather than hers. I’m not connected to Delia or her website.
Jump to the recipe card at the end of this page for exact quantities and a printable version.
What’s in It
You need skinless salmon fillet, cut into four even pieces, and a bag of mixed watercress, rocket and spinach. The greens are wilted in a little butter, squeezed dry, then stirred with crème fraîche, lemon juice, fresh nutmeg, salt and pepper. The pastry is a quick flaky pastry made from plain flour, cold butter, a pinch of salt and cold water. You also need one beaten egg for glazing, plus fresh dill and hollandaise for serving. For equipment, you need a large frying pan, a sieve, a box grater for the butter, a rolling pin, a pastry brush and a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
Is This Really Delia’s Recipe?
The version in this article follows the one on Delia’s own site. But search for this recipe and you will find other pages that use her name for very different dishes. One is a large, cured salmon sandwiched with cream cheese, wrapped in shop-bought puff pastry and baked at 220°C, then 180°C. It lists 1kg of salmon and 500g of pastry for four people. Another uses 175g fillets, puff pastry and orange, baked at 200°C. Neither matches the Delia Online page, which uses 110g pieces, flaky pastry and 220°C for 20 minutes.
The two-stage bake on the big version makes sense, because a thick slab of salmon needs longer than a small piece. Only use that timing for a large loaf. One of those pages also claims 619 kcal a portion. My reading, from a rough sum of typical values for the ingredients it lists, is that four portions would come to well over twice that.
Flaky Pastry or Puff Pastry?
Delia uses a quick flaky pastry. It is thinner and crisper than shop-bought puff, and it suits a small parcel. If you would rather use ready-made puff, the pastry section below tells you how much to buy.
How I Make It
- Make the pastry and chill it. Put 110g plain flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Grate 75g very cold butter straight into the flour, then stir with a knife so every shred is coated. Add cold water a spoonful at a time until the mix clumps. Press it into a flat block, wrap it and chill it for 30 minutes. Delia’s page shows the pastry in a video and does not write the steps out, so this is the standard grated-butter method, not a copy of hers. Cold butter stays in streaks, and those streaks turn to steam in a hot oven, which makes the flaky layers.
- Cut the salmon. Pat 450g skinless, boneless salmon dry and cut it into four even pieces of about 110g each. Choose centre-cut pieces if you can, because a thin tail end cooks faster and dries out. Run a finger over the flesh and pull out any pin bones. Keep the salmon in the fridge.
- Wilt the greens. Heat a large frying pan on a high heat and melt 10g butter in it. Add 140g mixed watercress, rocket and spinach, with any thick stalks removed. Stir for about 1 minute, until the leaves have collapsed.
- Squeeze them dry. Tip the greens into a sieve over a bowl and leave them to cool. Press them hard with the back of a wooden spoon. Lift them onto a board and press again with several sheets of kitchen paper. Spoon them into a small bowl and stir in 1 rounded tablespoon of crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, a little freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Wet greens are the main cause of a soggy base, so don’t rush this step.
- Roll the pastry. Divide the chilled pastry into four pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll the first piece very thinly into a rectangle about 21cm by 15cm, matching the shape of your salmon. The section after the method explains how thin that is.
- Spread a quarter of the greens in the middle of the pastry, covering about the same area as the fillet. Put a piece of salmon on top and season it lightly.
- Wrap the parcel. Brush the corners of the pastry with cold water. Fold one short end over the salmon, then the other. Dampen the two long edges, then fold them in so they overlap and close the salmon in like a parcel. Turn the parcel over so the seam is underneath and put it on a tray lined with baking parchment. Repeat with the other three.
- Chill the parcels. Put the tray in the fridge. Delia says to leave them there until you need them, and to cover them with cling film if you are making them ahead. I would give them at least 20 minutes so the butter firms up before it meets the heat. That part is my advice, not hers.
- Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 220°C (gas mark 7), or 200°C if you have a fan oven. Put a shelf near the top.
- Slash and glaze. Make three diagonal slashes in the top of each parcel with a sharp knife. Brush each parcel all over with beaten egg.
- Bake on the high shelf for 20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. If you have a probe thermometer, the middle of the salmon should read at least 63°C, which is the usual US food safety guidance for fish. Some cooks stop a little lower for softer fish. With the fish hidden under pastry, I would rather check than guess.
- Rest and serve. Leave the parcels on the tray for about 5 minutes. Serve with foaming hollandaise stirred with a rounded tablespoon of chopped fresh dill. The 5 minute rest is my advice.
The Pastry Thickness Nobody Explains
Delia says to roll the pastry “very thinly” to about 21cm by 15cm, but she doesn’t say how thin that is. I worked it out. The pastry on the card (110g flour, 75g butter and a few spoons of water) makes roughly 215g of dough. I assumed about 2 tablespoons of water. Split four ways, that is about 54g a piece. Spread over 315 square centimetres, and treating dough as a little denser than water, that works out at about 1.5mm thick.
That is thinner than most people roll pastry. Flour the surface lightly, roll from the centre outwards, and lift and turn the pastry often so it doesn’t stick.
If you use ready-made puff pastry instead, the same 315 square centimetres at 2.5mm needs about 80g a parcel. For four parcels that is about 320g, or roughly two thirds of a 500g block. That figure is my own sum and it assumes about 1g per cubic centimetre. Puff rises more than flaky pastry, so expect a taller, softer parcel.
The Missing Egg Nobody Mentions
Delia’s method tells you to brush each parcel with beaten egg, and the serving line asks for a rounded tablespoon of chopped dill in the hollandaise. Neither the egg nor the dill appears in the ingredient list on her page. If you shop from that list alone, you will reach the glazing step with nothing to brush on.
So add one egg (any size) and a few sprigs of fresh dill to your shopping. One beaten egg is more than four parcels need, so you will have some left over. The list also names a 140g packet of watercress, rocket and spinach. If you can’t find that exact bag, weigh out 140g of any mix of those three, or use baby spinach on its own.
Scaling It Up or Down, and Oven Settings
I worked these amounts out by multiplying the four-serving quantities and rounding to easy weights.
220°C is gas mark 7. For a fan oven, use 200°C, because fan ovens usually run about 20°C cooler than the conventional setting. Delia’s page links to its own fan oven guidance, which I couldn’t open, so check it if you want her exact number. The bake should stay at 20 minutes however many parcels you make, as long as the pieces are the same size. If you make more than four, bake in batches or on two trays, and keep the spare tray in the fridge until its turn. Leave about 3cm between parcels so the heat reaches every side.
Common Mistakes and How I Fixed Them
Soggy base. Cause: wet greens. Fix: press the greens in a sieve, then in kitchen paper, until they feel almost dry. Bake on a high shelf, as Delia says.
Leaking parcels. Cause: edges that weren’t dampened, or a seam on top that pulled open. Fix: brush the edges with cold water, overlap the folds and bake with the seam underneath.
Pastry that doesn’t flake. Cause: warm butter or too much handling. Fix: grate the butter very cold, mix lightly and chill the dough before rolling.
Pale pastry. Cause: an oven that isn’t as hot as the dial says, or no egg glaze. Fix: check the oven with a thermometer and brush with egg right before baking.
Dry salmon. Cause: a thin tail piece or too long in the oven. Fix: use centre-cut pieces of an even size and check the middle with a probe after 20 minutes.
Pastry that tears when folding. Cause: rolled too thin in one spot, or the pastry is too dry. Fix: add a few drops of water to the dough next time and roll evenly. Patch a small tear with a scrap of pastry and a dab of water.
Swaps and Variations
- Use ready-made puff pastry if you’re short on time. Use about 320g and see the pastry section above.
- Use baby spinach alone if you can’t find a mixed bag. Add a little extra pepper, because watercress and rocket bring a peppery bite.
- If you don’t want to make hollandaise, stir chopped dill and a squeeze of lemon into crème fraîche. That is my suggestion, not Delia’s.
What to Serve With It
- Foaming hollandaise with dill, as Delia suggests
- Steamed asparagus or green beans
- Boiled new potatoes with butter and parsley
- A crisp green salad with a lemon dressing
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
Make ahead. Delia says to shape the parcels, chill them and cover them with cling film if you are not baking straight away. Her page gives no time limit. I would keep them to 24 hours and glaze just before baking.
Leftovers. Cool the cooked parcels, wrap them and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat on a tray at 180°C (160°C fan) until hot all the way through. A microwave will soften the pastry.
Freezing. Delia’s page doesn’t mention freezing. Other recipes with puff pastry say you can freeze the parcels unbaked, so my suggestion is to do the same here. Freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and bake as in the method, adding a few minutes if the middle is still cold. I haven’t verified a time for flaky pastry parcels. Don’t freeze raw salmon that has already been frozen and thawed.
FAQs
What temperature do you cook Delia Smith’s salmon en croute at?
Delia’s page says 220°C, gas mark 7, for 20 minutes on a high shelf. In a fan oven I would use 200°C.
How many does this salmon en croute serve?
It serves 4. You make four individual parcels from a 450g piece of salmon, about 110g each.
Can I use shop-bought puff pastry?
Yes. You need about 320g for four parcels, rolled to about 2.5mm. The parcels will rise more than they do with flaky pastry.
How do I stop the bottom going soggy?
Dry the greens well, first in a sieve and then in kitchen paper. Bake the parcels on a high shelf, on a lined tray.
Can I make it the day before?
Yes. Shape the parcels, cover them with cling film and keep them in the fridge. I would glaze them just before they go in the oven.
Can I freeze salmon en croute before baking?
Probably. Recipes with puff pastry say unbaked parcels freeze well. Delia’s page doesn’t cover it, so treat this as a suggestion and thaw them in the fridge first.
Does it need a sauce?
Delia serves it with foaming hollandaise and chopped dill. A quick dill and lemon crème fraîche works if you don’t want to make hollandaise.
Can I use frozen salmon?
Yes, but thaw it fully in the fridge and pat it very dry. Thawed fish releases water, which can wet the pastry.
One Last Thing
If you only get one step right, make it the greens. Squeeze them until they feel almost dry and the rest of the recipe is simple. The recipe card follows on the next page.
Delia Smith Salmon en Croute Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make pastry. Mix the flour and salt. Grate in the cold butter and stir to coat. Add the water a spoonful at a time until the mix clumps. Press into a flat block, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Cut salmon. Pat the salmon dry, cut it into 4 even pieces and remove any pin bones. Keep it in the fridge.
- Wilt greens. Melt the butter in a large frying pan on a high heat. Add the greens and stir for about 1 minute, until collapsed.
- Dry greens. Tip into a sieve and cool. Press with a wooden spoon, then with kitchen paper. Stir in the crème fraîche, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Roll pastry. Divide the pastry into 4. Roll one piece very thinly, to about 21 cm by 15 cm, on a lightly floured surface.
- Fill. Spread a quarter of the greens in the middle of the pastry. Put a piece of salmon on top and season lightly.
- Wrap parcels. Dampen the corners with cold water. Fold in the short ends, dampen the long edges, then fold them over to enclose the salmon. Turn seam side down onto a lined tray. Repeat with the rest.
- Chill. Chill the parcels for at least 20 minutes, covered with cling film if you are leaving them longer.
- Heat oven. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas mark 7) with a shelf near the top.
- Glaze. Slash the top of each parcel 3 times on the diagonal. Brush with beaten egg.
- Bake. Bake on the high shelf for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden. The middle of the salmon should reach at least 63°C.
- Rest and serve. Rest for about 5 minutes. Serve with foaming hollandaise and dill.
Notes
- Fan oven: 200°C. Gas mark 7. Delia’s page links to its own fan oven guidance, so check it if you want her exact figure.
- Pastry: roll to about 1.5 mm. For ready-made puff pastry, use about 320 g and roll to about 2.5 mm.
- Tray and timing: one large baking sheet takes 4 parcels with about 3 cm between them. The bake stays at 20 minutes for evenly sized pieces.
- The egg and the dill are not in the ingredient list on Delia’s page, but her method uses both. The hollandaise recipe is not included on this card.
- Make ahead: shape the parcels, cover with cling film and chill for up to 24 hours (my advice). Glaze just before baking.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat at 180°C (160°C fan) until hot all the way through.
Tried This Salmon en Croute? I’d Love to Hear From You!
Did you make this Delia Smith-inspired Salmon en Croute Recipe? I’d love to know how yours turned out! Was the pastry beautifully golden and flaky? Did you add your own twist to the filling?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating and share your experience in the comments below! Your feedback helps other home cooks and means so much to me here at Cooking Picks.
Happy cooking!
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