Salmon en croûte

Serves 8

Prep time 45 mins

Cook time 45 mins (plus cooling and chilling time)

Ingredients

• 1 side of salmon, skin removed, pin-boned and halved lengthways to form two long pieces
• 2 boiled eggs, thickly sliced
• 1 egg, whisked for brushing

Rough puff pastry

• 400g plain flour
• 400g cold butter, diced into 2cm pieces

Rice filling

• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200g long grain rice, rinsed
• 360ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp finely chopped thyme
• ½ tsp ground allspice, preferably fine, freshly ground
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Large pinch saffron threads, mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water
• 1 cinnamon quill, broken in half
• 40g each roasted almonds and cashews, coarsely chopped

Method

1. For rough puff pastry, combine flour, a large pinch salt and diced butter on low speed in a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle and mix on slow speed until butter pieces reduce in size by one-quarter and start to incorporate into the flour, but are still visible. With the motor going, gradually pour in 200ml ice-cold water, and mix on low speed until just combined, do not overwork, you want a very soft dough that has butter chunks through it. Shape dough into a rectangle, wrap and refrigerate to rest until firm (30 minutes). Dust a bench with flour and roll pastry away from you to a 20cm x 40cm rectangle. Fold top third of dough down, then bottom third over again. Turn 90 degrees and repeat, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (2 hours). Repeat folding and rolling twice more (4 folds in total), then wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
2. For rice filling, heat butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and aromatics and stir until tender (10 minutes). Add rice and spices (except saffron) and stir until fragrant (10 seconds), then add chicken stock, saffron and saffron water, season to taste, stir, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is cooked (15 minutes). Check seasoning and set aside to cool completely.
3. Halve pastry and roll each half to a 4mm-thick rectangle to fit salmon on. Cover and refrigerate if needed to firm and chill. Place one piece of pastry on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Top with half the rice, then salmon fillets (top to tail), remaining rice and sliced boiled eggs, brush edges of pastry with eggwash, cover with remaining pastry half and refrigerate until ready to bake.
4. Preheat oven to 230C. Trim pastry edges and brush all over with eggwash, score around pastry, then bake until pastry is crisp and deep golden (25-30 minutes). Serve with smoked chilli labne and extra lime or lemon wedges, and a salad to the side.