Salmon Lasagna
Layers of fresh pasta, tender salmon, wilted spinach and a generous homemade béchamel, finished with golden Gruyère. The salmon stays flaky and tender, the spinach turns silky from the cream, and the pasta absorbs everything around it into something rich and completely satisfying!
Ingredients
Lasagna
- 9 fresh lasagna sheets
- 600 gr salmon fresh fillet, skinless and boneless, cut into 2cm cubes
- 700 gr spinach fresh
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- 20 gr unsalted butter
- 80 gr gruyère grated
Béchamel
- 60 gr plain flour
- 60 gr unsalted butter
- 600 ml whole milk
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch white pepper
Equipment
- baking dish approx. 30 x 20cm
Instructions
1. Cook and drain the spinach
- Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes until softened. Add the spinach in batches, turning with tongs until fully wilted, about 5 minutes. Tip into a colander, cool slightly, then press firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop roughly and set aside.
2. Make the béchamel
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and faintly biscuity. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking constantly, until smooth and thick. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Prep the oven and dish
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Butter a 30 x 20cm baking dish.
4. Assemble
- Spread a layer of béchamel over the base. Lay 3 sheets on top. Spread over half the spinach, then half the salmon, then a layer of béchamel. Repeat with 3 more sheets, the rest of the spinach and salmon, and more béchamel. Finish with the last 3 sheets, the remaining béchamel spread right to the edges, and the Gruyère.
5. Bake and rest
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and bubbling at the edges. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Squeeze the spinach well. The most important step. Wet spinach makes a watery lasagna that won't hold its layers.
- Raw salmon goes in. Don't pre-cook it. It cooks perfectly in the oven and stays moist. Pre-cooked salmon dries out.
- Fresh sheets need no pre-cooking. For dried, pre-cook 2 minutes and add extra béchamel, as they absorb more.
- Generous sauce. Lasagna needs plenty of béchamel between every layer. Always start and finish with it.
- Frozen spinach works: thaw and squeeze very firmly. About 400g frozen replaces 700g fresh.
- Make ahead: assemble the night before and refrigerate; add 10 minutes if baking from cold. Freezes well after baking.