Creamy Salmon and Spinach Puff Pastry Bake
Flaky puff pastry filled with a rich cream cheese and spinach base, topped with salmon and baked until golden and bubbling. A comforting oven bake that feels special but stays simple.
- Total
- 66 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 36 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Folding · Resting meat
- Savory
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions if frozen, then unroll it onto the lined sheet.
~10 min
Preheating ensures the pastry starts baking immediately, helping it puff and crisp rather than melt.
-
Place the spinach in a bowl, add 1 tbsp water, cover, and bake for 5 minutes until wilted. Drain well and squeeze out excess moisture.
~5 min
Squeezing out excess moisture prevents the filling from making the pastry soggy.
-
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, olive oil, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Fold in the drained spinach.
~5 min
Folding Use a gentle lifting and cutting motion to incorporate ingredients without deflating them. Stop as soon as streaks disappear to avoid overmixing.
-
Spread the cream cheese and spinach mixture over the puff pastry, leaving a 2 cm border. Lay the salmon fillets on top and fold the pastry edges up around the filling.
~6 min
Leaving a border allows the pastry edges to seal and rise without the filling spilling out.
Pat the salmon dry before placing it on the filling so the pastry stays crisp underneath.
Folding Use a gentle lifting and cutting motion to incorporate ingredients without deflating them. Stop as soon as streaks disappear to avoid overmixing.
-
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden and the salmon reaches 63°C in the thickest part.
~30 min
Baking to 63°C ensures the salmon is safely cooked while remaining moist and flaky.
If the puff pastry browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
-
Let the bake rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 4 portions.
~10 min
Resting allows the filling to set and juices to redistribute, making slicing cleaner.
Resting meat Let the bake rest before slicing so juices redistribute and the filling sets. Cutting too early causes the filling to run.