Salmon and Spinach in Phyllo Dough

Hey everyone, Sarah here:

Happy Easter!  I had the day off work today and decided to make one of my favorite salmon dishes, a Pampered Chef recipe in which you top salmon fillets with spinach and cheese wrap them in phyllo dough.  I will warn you, the phyllo dough part can be a bit tricky.  The last time I made this, the sheets of dough kept cracking apart and it was difficult to keep it together.  This time, I found that the solution lies in using lots and lots of cooking spray to keep the phyllo dough damp and pliable while you're working with it.  That helps a lot.

Anyways, here goes.  Enjoy!

Salmon and Spinach in Phyllo Dough

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Next, smash and peel several cloves of garlic and mince them finely.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add the garlic and about a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes and saute until golden, about one minute.

Next, add in about four cups of spinach and stir around to mix with the garlic and olive oil.

Cook the spinach for several minutes until it has wilted.

Move the cooked spinach into a colander and use a spoon to press it against the sides of the colander and drain out any remaining liquid.

Meanwhile, on a large, clean surface, lay out one sheet of phyllo dough.

Spray the sheet of dough with cooking spray, and lay another sheet directly on top of it.  Press down so that the two sheets stick together.

Repeat this process until you have a stack of four sheets of dough, and repeat for each serving.

Cut the salmon into pieces about 2 x 5 inches each, and cut off the skin.

Sprinkle each piece of salmon with salt and black pepper and top with about a tablespoon of garlic and herb-flavored creamy cheese.  I used Boursin, but Alouette or another type of cream cheese would work as well.  Or goat cheese would probably be good too.

Cover the salmon with about half of the spinach mixture.

Repeat with the other pieces of salmon.

Place the salmon spinach-side down on the phyllo dough, about 2 inches from one of the short ends.  If you're like me and forget this at the beginning and place in the middle, move it towards one of the short ends.

Spray the entire layer of phyllo dough with cooking spray and fold the long ends in towards the salmon.

Now, carefully roll the phyllo dough around the piece of salmon.  If the dough feels too dry and starts to crack, spray again with cooking spray.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of salmon.

Place the salmon packets seam-side down on a baking sheet and use a bread knife to make three slits in each one.

Bake in an oven for approximately 11-13 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130 degrees.

Let sit for five minutes before eating.  Enjoy!

Yum!

Salmon and Spinach in Phyllo Dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups spinach leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
8 sheets (9 x 14 inches) thawed, frozen phyllo dough
Nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each), about 1 1/2 inches thick
2 tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Heat oil in a large skillet until hot.  Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper.  Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.  Remove spinach to colander.  Squeeze out all excess moisture; set aside.

2. Lay one sheet of phyllo on large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal.  Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo.  Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.

3. Season salmon fillets with salt and black pepper.  Spread each salmon fillet with half of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach.  For each phyllo bundle, place salmon, spinach side down, on phyllo stack 2 inches from bottom edge of short side.  Fold long sides of phyllo in toward center.  Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top.  Place both bundles on baking sheet, seam side down.  Using a bread knife, make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle.  Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake 11-13 minutes or until centers of salmon register 130 degrees F and phyllo is golden brown.  Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2, but can easily be scaled up for more.