Home cooks can keep salmon juicy and perfectly flaky by curing it before cooking, a technique highlighted by top UK chef Angela Hartnett on the Dish from Waitrose podcast.
In a recent episode, Angela prepared a salmon en croûte for co-hosts Nick Grimshaw and Reece Shearsmith, using a recipe created by former Great British Bake Off contestant Martha Collison. When fish is wrapped in pastry, achieving both juicy salmon and golden pastry can be difficult, as the fish may overcook or the pastry may remain underdone.
Why curing helps
The advice reads: “Don’t skip the cure! Curing the fish overnight with sea salt, soft light brown sugar and unwaxed lemon zest lightly seasons the fish and helps to tighten the flesh.” If time is short, a cure of at least six hours works as well. After marinating, the fillets should be washed and patted dry.
Curing draws moisture out of the salmon, transforming the raw, loose flesh into a dense, silky, and firm texture. This creates a moist-feeling mouthfeel when eaten and maximises the fish’s flavour.
Recipe and reception
Dish’s video has been viewed over 64,400 times, receiving 4,287 likes and 22 comments. Martha herself commented: “One of my best recipes! Thanks for making it.” Another viewer said: “This looks amazing,” and Vicky agreed: “Bloody love salmon en croute.”
To recreate Martha’s salmon en croûte at home, prepare the cure the day before by combining 25g sea salt flakes, 20g soft light brown sugar, and the zest of one unwaxed lemon. Remove the skin from two 500g packs of salmon fillet, check for bones, rub both pieces with the cure, cover with baking parchment or foil, weigh down with cans, and chill for at least six hours, ideally overnight.
For the filling, blend one garlic clove, 25g coriander, a 25g pack of flat-leaf parsley, two preserved lemons (seeds removed), ¼ tsp ground cumin, 50ml olive oil, and ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional). Finely chop 80g spinach and mix with the herby paste, ½ x 250g mascarpone, and the juice of half a lemon.
After rinsing and drying the cured salmon, roll out ⅔ of a 500g block of puff pastry into a rectangle about 35 x 28 cm. Place one fillet in the centre, top with the filling, sandwich the second fillet on top, and wrap in pastry, brushing edges with beaten egg. Create a lattice with remaining pastry, brush with egg, and chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (gas mark 6) and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.
