Suffice it to say, this holiday season will be different from most! For many of us, this means that we won’t be engaging in our usual holiday traditions.

But instead of being sad about that (okay, in addition to being sad about that), we’re going to take this opportunity to do some things a little differently this year. One thing we’re thinking about shaking up is the holiday meal. Sure, turkey is a classic, but for a smaller gathering roasting a whole turkey may not be super practical! So, we’d like to propose an alternative holiday feast centre-piece: Salmon en Croute.

What is salmon en croute? Quite literally salmon in a crust, this dish is a bit lighter than the typical turkey dinner, but will feel just as special.

The succulent, flavourful wild west coast salmon, paired with the crispy, flakey pastry crust make for an unbeatable taste and texture combo. Plus, it looks amazing, and is actually fairly easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2 Skipper Otto salmon fillets (chinook, coho, or chum will do!) of similar size/shape, roughly 1 lb each, skin removed
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 handful fresh dill or basil, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 lb puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with a lightly oiled piece of foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together butter, lemon zest, herbs, and a little salt and pepper.
3. Pat salmon dry and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the herb butter evenly over the top of one fillet and the mustard evenly over the top of other fillet. Sandwich the two fillets together (with the butter and mustard in the middle) in opposite directions so both ends are of even thickness.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to ¼ inch thick rectangle, large enough to enclose the salmon. Put salmon stack in the center of the pastry and brush the surrounding pastry with egg yolk.
5. Wrap the long sides of the pastry around the salmon, trimming off any excess, and then fold the ends 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.
6. Optional: Use extra pastry to make stars to decorate the top!
7. Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover loosely and chill for 15 min. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. To test if ready, insert a skewer into the middle. A medium salmon will leave the skewer warm, while a well-done salmon will leave it hot.
9. Once cooked, rest salmon for 5 minutes before cutting. When cutting into portions use a serrated knife.