Filo wrapped salmon with watercress sauce

image courtesy of delicious magazine

This recipe is a wonderful starter, or can be used as a main course in larger proportions. It has a wonderful non-offenisve flavour and is perfect for the festive season. The mild flavour of the watercress sauce with the vermouth provides a sweet enough edge to complement the salmon perfectly, and sits alongside the lemon edge of the salmon for a pleasing and clean overall flavour.

Ideal as an elegant edge to your Christmas dinner, or new years (if that's your thing). If you can get trout cheaply enough you can use this also in the place of salmon. It may work out cheaper depending on what's available.

For a vegetarian version replace the fish with feta cheese & spinach, or field mushrooms.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

500g Salmon filet skinned and pinned
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 lemon juiced and zested
Seasoning
100g of butter
1 shallot finely diced
200g filo pastry

Watercress sauce

170g of watercress
2 finley diced shallots
4 tablespoons of dry vermouth
300ml of crème fraiche

Cut the salmon into 5mm (1/2 cm) strips

Melt a little of the butter and sauté off the shallots until soft

Mix the lemon, lemon zest and olive oil and mix with the shallots then mix with the salmon

Melt the butter and brush a layer of filo pastry, repeat this three time layering the pastry upon each other

Place a little of the mix upon one edge then roll up with buttered edges

Brush with butter and bake for 15 minutes

The sauce
Strip the cress leaves from the stems
Saute the shallots until soft
Add the vermouth and reduce by half, add crème fraiche, reduce by 1/3
Add the watercress and once wilted, puree
Check the seasoning

Serve and devour. For a main meal version this mix should serve two, just be sure to make larger parcels. Serve with tenderstem or purple broccoli, crushed new potatoes, asparagus or even mange tout or sugar snap peas. Make it work for you.

EQSYRUMVT5C8