Trout en croute (wrapped in pastry)

En croute is a term used to describe the technique of encasing meat or fish in pastry and then baking. Perhaps the most commonly known is Beef Wellington, a magnificent kingly dish of beef fillet enveloped with a rich mushroom and liver stuffing (delete liver as appropriate). The fishy alternative is usually made with salmon and I have seen several variations on the theme. Rick Stein's was layered with a savoury mix comprising currants, ginger and mace, (I imagine mince pies or Christmas pudding as the flavours, so this seems a festive variety to me). Browsing Internet sites and recipe books illustrate that by far the most popular choice for salmon en croute stuffing tends to include some greens, cream cheese or cream and herbs. So, this is what I went for, adding a few mushrooms also for the earthy taste and as a nod to the richness of Beef Wellington.

One of the things Neil and I miss the most about the UK is the pub culture. Back home, nearly everyone has a 'local' they can walk (or drive) to regularly, where they know there will always be people to talk to, (pub friends), without the hassle of having to make plans to meet 3 weeks in advance, only to then be let down by half who don't show. Over the years we have developed a twisted version of this, whereby we know the bar staff well enough to chat to for the evening but none of the frequently rotating customers. We have built such a relationship with them that we get invited to their parties and even given huge pieces of trout from their husband's fishing expeditions, like this one, hence trout en croute was born, not salmon. Thanks Sue.

Recipe : Trout en croute

short crust pastry

3.25 cups of all purpose, (plain) flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp of salt, (or more, I always find that I wish I had added more salt to what can be bland and tasteless pastry)

7 oz of cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water

Stuffing

1 large piece of boneless, skinless trout or salmon, (about 1.5 lbs)

4 tbsp cream cheese, (such as Philadelphia)

4 stalks of asparagus, snapped free of their woody stems

a handful of fresh parsley, basil, mint, or dill

2 tsp pesto

6 mushrooms

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

First, make the pastry. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and add the butter. Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs.

Add the water, starting with 1/4 cup and stir into the pastry. Use your hands to bring the pastry together and continue adding water and mixing until you have a soft pastry that leaves the bowl clean.

Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

For the stuffing:

Place all ingredients except trout in a blender or processor until you have a smooth paste, adding a little water if it seems a little thick to blend properly.

Roll your lump of pastry out on a floured board into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and about 3 times larger than your piece of fish. Lay the trout or salmon in the middle of the pastry and season lightly if you like, (mine could have done with a little). Preheat the oven to 375oF.

Spread your cream cheese and greens sauce over the fish.

Now you need to wrap the fish up in it's pastry coat by bringing in all sides and pressing together well with a little water brushed on to seal. You may have to trim the edges if they overlap very much, but keep the trimmings for your decorations.

As you can see, I chose fish as an obvious decoration to make the seals prettier, but I have also seen very pretty bows and leaves. Simply roll out your pastry trimmings and cut to your desired shape, adding a few little marks for eyes and scales on the fish if you like. Brush both the decorations and seals with a little water before adding to make them stick well.

Place the en croute on a lightly greased and floured baking tray and brush all over with a mixture of one egg, beaten well with 1 tbsp milk. Wait 10 minutes and then brush with this mixture again. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or so until the pastry is golden brown and both pastry and fish are cooked through, (check with a skewer inserted into the fish).

You can serve this dish simply by itself as it has all the necessary balanced meal elements of protein, vegetables, carbs and dairy, but if you want an accompaniment, something simple such as a few boiled potatoes or half a corn cob, all doused in melted butter would be nice.

Other recipes you may like:

Cedar planked trout

Trout baked with lemon and herbs