So Many Dishes

I pulled out the cookbook that has the recipe I’m cooking tonight and realized that I hadn’t posted a recipe from the same book that I made almost two weeks ago. I have to rectify that, because this dish is too good not to share.

Phyllo-wrapped salmon is one of my favorite ways to cook salmon, and not nearly as difficult as it looks. Originally from The Smartpoints Cookbook from Weight Watchers, it’s essentially a reduced calorie version of Wellington. I’ve made a couple of adjustments, one of which adds a bit more fat and calories, but it’s still a healthy dish.

Before I started writing, I checked on whether there is any difference between phyllo and filo. There isn’t. It’s simply a spelling variation; I suspect it comes about by translating from the Greek alphabet to ours. In Greek, the word means leaf, and that’s a great description for this thin, delicate pastry. I use the frozen pastry, and there are two tricks to working with it: make sure it’s thawed completely before you start cooking, and keep the sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.

The recipe includes making an onion and mushroom topping for the fish. This is our grandson Luke’s favorite part. He loves to help sauté the veggies, mostly so that he can nibble on them. The kid loves mushrooms!

The original recipe was to serve 8; I’ve cut it in half, so it feeds 3 to 4. The other change is probably not Weight Watchers approved. The recipe called for spraying the phyllo layers with cooking spray, and I did that the first time I tried the recipe. But the phyllo tasted off. I tried brushing the sheets with melted butter, and it was such an improvement, I’ve never gone back.

Phyllo-Wrapped Salmon Fillet

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 sheets phyllo, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 pound skinless salmon fillet

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Cook until almost dry, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly brush one sheet of phyllo with melted butter and place on baking sheet. Cover with second sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with third sheet. Place salmon on phyllo and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place mushroom mixture on top of fish. Layer the remaining three phyllo sheets on top of the mushrooms, brushing with melted butter, as before. Roll up sides to seal and cover the fish completely.

Bake fish until phyllo crisps and browns and fish inside is cooked to 145 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. (Check fish with instant read thermometer at 20 minutes). Slice to serve.

Happy eating!