Flaky Fish Pastry Stuffed With Smoked Salmon, Spinach, And A Creamy Dill Horseradish Sauce

Smoked salmon & cream cheese, lox & schmear – however you choose say it, these 2 ingredients make a perfect pair. We could eat this classic combo any time of day, any time of year! But instead of going for the box-standard bagel & lox combination, we've decided to make this divine duo even more delicious. We're stuffing a flaky homemade pastry to the literal gills with smoked salmon, a cream cheese-based dill horseradish sauce, and sautéed spinach. And did we mention that the pastry looks like an adorable fish?!  In fact, this might just be that elusive fish in the sea you've been searching for!

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the pastry dough:

  • 3¾ cups flour
  • 1 stick melted butter
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ cup warm milk

For the creamy dill horseradish sauce:

  • ¾ cup cream cheese
  • 3 sprigs of dill weed, chopped
  • 1 tbsp grated horseradish
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the sautéed spinach:

  • vegetable oil for sautéing 
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 9 oz baby spinach
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the filling:

  • 2 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
  • 9 oz smoked salmon
  • 1 whisked egg + 1 tsp paprika for the egg wash

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the pastry dough, combine the flour, melted butter, baking powder, salt, and warm milk. Knead everything together by hand until a smooth dough forms, then let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

2. While the dough is resting, stir together the ingredients for the creamy dill horseradish sauce.

3. For the sautéed spinach, heat some vegetable oil in a skillet and sauté the onions and garlic. Once the onions start to become tender, add in the fresh baby spinach and season with salt & pepper.

4. Once the dough has rested, sprinkle flour over a clean work surface and roll out the pastry dough into a large oval. Make evenly spaced diagonal cuts along the sides of the rolled out dough, leaving an uncut section at the bottom.

5. Spread a layer of the creamy dill horseradish sauce onto the center of the dough.

6. Spoon the sautéed baby spinach on top of the dill horseradish sauce and sprinkle toasted slivered almonds on top.

7. Fold slices of smoked salmon on top of the other fillings.

8. Starting at the top of the pastry, twist each strand of dough and cross it over the filling, pressing the end of each twisted strand of dough into the dough on the opposite side. Continue alternating sides and crossing the twisted strands of dough until all of the cut sections have been positioned

9. Press a fork into the uncut section of dough to design it like the fish's tail.

10. Whisk an egg for the egg wash and stir in the paprika. Brush the seasoned egg wash over the surface of the pastry and place the stuffed fish pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

11. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the fish pastry at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Cutting into this delicious stuffed pastry and catching that first glimpse of the delicious smoked salmon, baby spinach, and creamy dill horseradish filling is truly a breathtaking experience. After all, how often do you get to see a dish that's a fish inside of a fish?

Get the recipe for the Patterned Salmon Spinach Roll featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty