Gordon Ramsay Salmon Wellington (Updated August 2025)

By Ava Taylor

The first time I tried a “quick” salmon wellington I ended up with soggy pastry, dry fish, and a swamp of spinach juice. After reverse-engineering Gordon Ramsay’s TV version I learned three rules: keep every component cold, pull the salmon early, and give the pastry a head start on heat. Follow these steps and you’ll slice into flaky pastry wrapped around silky salmon—not a damp brick.

Need a dipping sauce? Pair each slice with Ramsay-style dill sauce for a cool, herby finish.

Why Ramsay’s Method Wins

• Chilled everything = crisp pastry. Warm filling steams the shell; a 15-minute chill fixes that.
• Cream-cheese spinach layer. Velvet texture, zero risk of béchamel splitting.
• Season in layers. Dill, lemon zest, and salt hit the salmon and the filling so every bite pops.

Ingredient Checklist (Serves 6)

• Salmon – 800 g / 1 ¾ lb center-cut, skin removed, patted dry
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp dried dill (for salmon)
• Spinach filling
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 300 g frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed bone-dry
  • 240 g cream cheese, room temp
  • Zest & juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
• Puff pastry – one 370 g sheet, kept fridge-cold
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water (egg wash)

Gear You’ll Need

• Baking sheet pre-heating in the oven (stops soggy bottoms)
• Parchment paper
• Thin kitchen towel for squeezing spinach
• Instant-read thermometer

Step-by-Step Method

1. Heat the oven. 200 °C / 400 °F with the tray inside.
2. Season the salmon. Salt, pepper, dried dill. Let it stand on the counter while you cook the filling—this knocks off the chill so it cooks evenly.
3. Cook the spinach base. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil 4 min until soft. Stir in spinach; cook 2 min more to drive off moisture. Cool 10 min.
4. Mix filling. In a bowl combine cooled spinach, cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, 2 tsp salt. Chill 15 min.
5. Roll pastry. On floured surface roll to 3–4 mm (¼″) thick, creating a rectangle 5 cm / 2″ longer and wider than the fillet.
6. Assemble. Spread spinach filling in a salmon-sized rectangle down the middle. Lay salmon on top. Brush pastry edge with egg wash.
7. Wrap & seal. Fold pastry over fish; press seams. Flip parcel seam-side-down onto parchment. Crimp edges with fork.
8. Decorate & chill. Score light diagonal lines; brush with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 min while the oven regains full heat.
9. Bake. Slide onto the pre-heated tray. Bake 25–30 min until pastry is deep gold and thermometer in the center reads 49–52 °C / 120–125 °F.
10. Rest & serve. Cool 5 min; slice with serrated knife. Serve with roast potatoes or simple green sides.

Ava’s Kitchen Notes

• Squeezing spinach in a thin towel removes almost a cup of liquid—worth the effort.
• Pre-heating the tray crisps the pastry underside without a soggy sheet pan.
• Double egg-wash trick: once before chilling, again right before baking for bakery-level sheen.

Variations

• Goat-cheese twist. Replace half the cream cheese with goat cheese for tang.
• Seed crust. Sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds on the second egg wash for crunch.
• Herb swap. Tarragon or chervil bring a sweeter, French vibe.

Storage & Leftovers

• Fridge: Wrap cooled slices; keep 2 days.
• Freeze unbaked: Wrap tight, freeze 1 month; bake from frozen 190 °C / 375 °F 45-50 min.
• Reheat: 175 °C / 350 °F 6 min to revive pastry.
• Brunch hack: Pan-fry a slice in butter, top with poached egg.

FAQs

Fresh vs frozen spinach?
Both work; 500 g fresh cooks down to about 300 g.

Phyllo instead of puff?
Not recommended—phyllo dries out and won’t hold moist filling.

Make-ahead?
Assemble, cover, and chill up to 24 h; bake straight from fridge.

Wine pairing?
Crisp Sauvignon Blanc or dry Riesling cuts the richness.

More Salmon How-Tos

• Best Way to Store Salmon
• 2-Minute Dill Sauce
• Fresh vs Frozen Fish

Tested August 2025 with Atlantic salmon and store-bought puff pastry.

Gordon Ramsay Salmon Wellington Recipe

Recipe by Gordon RamsayCourse: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

390

kcal

Crispy, golden puff pastry. Juicy, flaky salmon. Creamy spinach and dill tucked inside. This Salmon Wellington is the kind of dish that makes a weeknight feel like a dinner party.

Ingredients

• Salmon

• 800 g center-cut salmon fillet, skin removed

• ½ tsp dried dill

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Spinach Filling

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 300 g frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

• 240 g cream cheese, room temperature

• Zest & juice of ½ lemon

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

• 2 tsp kosher salt

• Pastry

• 370 g puff pastry sheet, chilled

• 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp water (egg wash)

Directions

• Heat oven to 200 °C / 400 °F with a baking tray inside.
• Pat salmon dry; season salt, pepper, dried dill; set aside.
• Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil 4 min. Add spinach; cook 2 min. Cool.
• Mix cooled spinach with cream cheese, lemon zest & juice, fresh dill, salt. Chill 15 min.
• Roll pastry to 3–4 mm thick.
• Spread spinach mixture in center; place salmon on top.
• Brush pastry edges with egg wash; fold and seal seam-side down. Crimp edges.
• Score surface, brush with egg wash. Chill parcel 15 min.
• Bake on hot tray 25–30 min until pastry deep gold and salmon core 49–52 °C.
• Rest 5 min; slice and serve.

Notes

• Chill your assembled Wellington before baking (10–15 minutes) – Keeps the pastry flaky.
  
• Bake on a preheated tray – Helps crisp the bottom faster.
  
• Brush twice with egg yolk – Once before chilling, once before baking. Gives a deep golden color.

Ava Taylor

I’m Ava Taylor. I’m A Self-taught Home Cook Who Loves Gordon Ramsay Recipes. I Try Every Dish In My Small Apartment Kitchen And Tweak It Until It Works. I Write Clear Steps With Simple Words So Anyone Can Follow. I Share Honest Wins, Mistakes, And Quick Tips To Help You Cook With Confidence.